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Wildlife photographer captures largest seal she's seen rolling on ice

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A wildlife photographer captured the fattest seal she’s ever seen – which weighs in at up to 60 stone.

Jennifer Hadley, 49, quickly spotted the giant bearded seal as it rolled across the ice with its blubber moving from side to side.

But the chubby sea creature seemed unphased by its size as it playfully put on a show for the camera.

Jennifer said: “He is massive! They are the biggest seals in the arctic regions.

“Females are slightly heavier than males but this one just tops the charts. It’s definitely the biggest regular seal I've seen.

“At that moment, I just thought, `someone needs to lay off the cupcakes’.”

Jennifer captured the portly pup on a visit to Svalbard, Norway, approached the seal using a raft and waited carefully to gauge its comfort level so as not to disturb it.

The photographer, from Raleigh, North Carolina, US, said: “He was just chilling on the ice and seemed very content to let us photograph him and of course even performed a little roll.

"The seals are mostly hanging out on the ice as this one was. Some of them, especially moms with babies can be a bit skittish but this one was happy to just lay around all day.

"This seal was definitely content and not at all bothered by our presence. I'm not sure when he ate last, but he didn't seem in any hurry to get going."

Bearded seals mostly feed on invertebrates such as shrimp, crab, clams and sometimes fish like cod.

They get their name because of their long and unique whiskers that tend to curl at the ends.

These are the largest of the arctic seal species and can reach lengths of eight feet and weigh anywhere between 40 and 60 stone.

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