00:04Norfolk, the county just a two-hour drive north of London, home to Royal Sandringham
00:10Estate, is as rich in royal history as in unique wildlife beauty.
00:21We are in Winterton-on-Sea, in the town mentioned by Daniel Defoe in Robinson Crusoe,
00:27which I hope bodes well for our travels. We are here to see the famous Norfolk seals and to follow
00:33in
00:34the footsteps of King Charles and his son Harry as we carry on the fascinating royal tradition of
00:40sinning to seals. Our goal? To wake up before the sun to capture a perfect seal picture and participate
00:50in the seal sinning royal tradition. One of the best places to see grey seals,
00:57Norfolk, is Horsey Gap, only a 10 minute drive from Winterton-on-Sea where more than 2000 seals
01:04are born every year, from late October through to February.
01:14The sun has risen with sun clouds and we have taken way too many pictures and videos. It's a difficult
01:21task here to satisfy the hunger of wanting more time here with nature and with the seals. Now more than
01:29ever I'm reminded that to some they are just dogs of the sea and it's actually based on science.
01:37Scientifically, seals are much closer related to bears than dogs, but the two species have a common
01:43ancestor. However, the most recent common ancestor, the pair would have, would be around 50 million years
01:50ago and since then things have changed quite drastically.
01:56Let's talk a bit more about our beloved grey seals. They can reach a growth of 10 feet and weight
02:04880 pounds.
02:07Female grey seals display a grey coat with black spot, whereas males display black coat with grey spots.
02:15In the world of seals opposites attract, quite literally.
02:23The most impressive fact on grey seals? They can remain submerged underwater for up to 30 minutes
02:30at a time. And while grey seals typically dive in shallow waters, they have been documented diving
02:36as deep as 1,352 feet in certain regions. The white seal pups that you see here are newly born.
02:47Their white
02:47fire isn't waterproof yet. They have to stay out of the water and close to their mother for around 3
02:54weeks
02:54before they molt and are able to go into the sea. In the winter months, it's important for the visitors
03:06to keep the distance and to not get between the mother and the pups, as seals can abandon the pups
03:13if you disturb them, leaving them to starve. At the end of our adventure, after the pictures were taken,
03:24I sat on the viewing platform and sank for the seals below. What at first was an awkward experience
03:31proved empowering and rewarding when the seals turned their heads in my direction.
04:05The reminds me of the
04:07You
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