This is the amusing moment mums shield their pups from hungry great white sharks prowling the Pacific Ocean.

The youngsters were filmed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after being left in a safe haven while their mothers hunted on December 12.

Great whites patrol the waters around the pups' home on the Farallon Islands off the California coast just when fur seal mothers give birth.

To protect their young from becoming an easy meal for these fearsome predators, the parents herd them into cove creches where the water is too shallow for the giant sharks.

Until they mature, the pups lack the power and swimming speeds to avoid being eaten.

The service said: 'Look closely, and you'll spot northern fur seal pups resting in a cove, hiding from hungry great white sharks, as they wait for their mothers to return from the sea to nurse.'

Northern fur seals were hunted to extinction on the islands by the 19th century but returned in 1996.

The service added: 'A truly remarkable recovery.'