A scientist tagging newborn seal pups in Erebus Bay , Antarctica , has shared an adorable photo he took of a baby seal nuzzling up to its mom . William Link of the U.S. Geological Survey captured the heartwarming moment involving the Weddell seal and her pup back in October . Link , a statistician , was helping researchers tag newborn seal pups when he saw the baby seal cuddle up and plant a kiss on the side of the mom 's face . Scroll down for video . A scientist tagging newborn seal pups in Erebus Bay , Antarctica , has shared an adorable photo he took of a baby Weddell seal nuzzling up to its mom back in October . ' I carried my camera a good bit and took about 4,000 photos while I was there , ' Link told ABC News . 'The seals would just be hanging out on the ice . They 're not afraid of people . You can walk right up to them . ' Since it was posted on Instagram last week by both the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Interior it has received over 19,000 likes . The public affairs department for the U.S.G.S . had asked scientists for interesting images to post on social media which inspired Link to submit this particular image . After a seal pup is born , the mom spends all her time close to her baby and hardly interacts with other seals . The Weddell seal population of Erebus Bay , Antarctica has been extensively studied for over 40 years ; one of the longest running studies of a long-lived mammal . Because of the isolation , the animal are relatively undisturbed by human activities . The Weddell seal population is healthy and stable , and thus gives a good example for studies of animal population dynamics . Scientist William Link of the U.S. Geological Survey captured a heartwarming moment involving a mother Weddell seal and her pup back in October . The Weddell seal population of Erebus Bay , Antarctica has been extensively studied for over 40 years ; one of the longest running studies of a long-lived mammal .
A scientist tagging newborn seal pups in Erebus Bay , Antarctica , has shared an adorable photo he took of a baby seal nuzzling up to its mom . William Link of the U.S. Geological Survey captured the heartwarming moment involving the Weddell seal and her pup back in October . The photo was posted on Instagram last week and has already received over 19,000 likes . The Weddell seal population in Antarctica has been extensively studied for over 40 years .