{"id":335857,"date":"2025-12-08T22:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T22:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/335857\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T22:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T22:47:12","slug":"israeli-photographer-captures-rare-white-fur-seal-pup-on-antarctic-expedition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/335857\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli photographer captures rare white fur seal pup on Antarctic expedition"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a wintry expedition to the edge of the world, nature photographer Matan Sharon encountered an exceptionally rare white fur seal pup\u2014an occurrence that happens in just one in every 10,000 births. The unusual encounter revealed surprising behavior patterns never before documented up close.<\/p>\n

About two weeks ago, Matan Sharon, 40, a nature photographer and founder of the photography tour company MW \u2013 Photo Tours, which leads trips to some of the world\u2019s most remote locations, received an unexpected invitation from Nirit Peer, a member of the photography community he leads, which includes some 1,500 passionate photographers. <\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

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The Rare White Pup in Antarctica <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

The proposal landed with almost no warning. Nevertheless, within a short time, he managed to pull everything together, including equipment that arrived just a day before boarding the ship. Along with ten other group members, he set off on the adventure. \u201cIt really fits the character of the destination,\u201d Sharon says. \u201cA reality that pushes you forward and doesn\u2019t conform to pre-made plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the journey to the world\u2019s fifth-largest continent, aboard the Plancius, and after several stops along the way, the group\u2014100 people in total, including Sharon\u2019s ten\u2014reached South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. From there, they sailed to the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost part of the continent and the closest point to the southern tip of South America.<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05d0\u05e7\u05e6\u05d9\u05d4<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05d0\u05e7\u05e6\u05d9\u05d4<\/p>\n

Interaction Between the Rare White Pup in Antarctica and One of Its Parents <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

True to one of the least hospitable places on Earth, the weather that greeted the experienced photographer, whose curiosity has taken him to far corners of the globe, was exceptionally harsh. Due to strong northern winds, two planned landings were canceled. That afternoon, the weather calmed slightly, allowing permission to go ashore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we reached the shore, surrounded by glacial scenery and snow-covered mountains rising from the waterline, we saw something extraordinary,\u201d Sharon recounts. \u201cAmong thousands of Antarctic fur seals lay a newborn pup, its umbilical cord still attached. But what stunned us was that it wasn\u2019t an ordinary pup\u2014it was completely white. It turns out that one in 10,000 pups is born white, and usually these pups don\u2019t survive due to their bright color attracting predators and because mothers tend to reject offspring that don\u2019t match the typical coloration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The White Pup Spotted on the Antarctic Expedition, Surrounded by Its Parents <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

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Photographer Matan Sharon <\/p>\n

(Photo: Keren Glick)<\/p>\n

Sharon notes that this rare phenomenon is caused by a condition called leucism, which results in partial loss of pigmentation in animals. Unlike albinism, however, the eyes retain their normal color because melanin production is only partially affected and not completely halted.<\/p>\n

Sharon\u2019s curiosity knows no bounds. With his camera, he has traveled to extraordinary destinations. He has photographed in no fewer than 111 countries, on journeys that have taken him from the Himalayas and the Amazon rainforest to the deserts of Africa and the landscapes of the Dead Sea. Over the years, he has honed his talent for capturing breathtaking images.<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05e8<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05e8<\/p>\n

The White Pup Spotted on the Antarctic Expedition, Peeking Out from Behind an Adult <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05e8<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05e8<\/p>\n

The Rare White Pup Blending in with Its Group <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

His trips combine professional expertise, unforgettable experiences, and deep familiarity with each destination he visits, together with groups made up of both beginner and advanced photographers. \u201cMy guiding vision is to connect photographers from around the world with the Israeli photography community,\u201d Sharon explains. \u201cI work with leading photographers and well-known organizations in the field, and I try to create genuine collaborations and connections between worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05e4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d2\u05d5\u05d5\u05d9\u05d9\u05df<\/a>\"\u05e4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d2\u05d5\u05d5\u05d9\u05d9\u05df<\/p>\n

King Penguin Photographed During the Antarctic Expedition <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05d0\u05e7\u05e6\u05d9\u05d4<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d8\u05e8\u05d0\u05e7\u05e6\u05d9\u05d4<\/p>\n

Interaction Between an Adult Fur Seal and a Pup <\/p>\n

(Photo: Matan Sharon)<\/p>\n

There is no doubt this latest encounter will be forever etched among his most unique experiences\u2014a wonder that only nature can create. \u201cMeeting the pup in its first hours of life was exceptional and intriguing in terms of behavior, survival, and future monitoring,\u201d says Sharon. \u201cWhat was equally surprising was the social behavior around it. Not only did its mother and father stay close, but other adult seals in the group also remained nearby. It was clear they were forming an active protective circle around it\u2014far beyond what we typically see with pups of normal coloring. It was an extraordinary interaction that raises questions about group communication, scent coding, or response to unusual coloration in a densely populated colony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a wintry expedition to the edge of the world, nature photographer Matan Sharon encountered an exceptionally rare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,128,338],"class_list":{"0":"post-335857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}