Israeli photographer captures rare white fur seal pup on Antarctic expedition
In documenting the pup’s first hours, Matan Sharon captured extraordinary interactions rarely seen among Antarctic fur seals
On a wintry expedition to the edge of the world, nature photographer Matan Sharon encountered an exceptionally rare white fur seal pup—an occurrence that happens in just one in every 10,000 births. The unusual encounter revealed surprising behavior patterns never before documented up close.
Matan Sharon, 40, a nature photographer and founder of the photography tour company MW – Photo Tours, received an unexpected invitation from Nirit Peer, a member of the photography community he leads, which includes some 1,500 passionate photographers. The proposal landed with almost no warning, and 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.
At the end of the journey to the world’s fifth-largest continent, aboard the Plancius, and after several stops along the way, the group—100 people in total, including Sharon’s ten—reached 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.
The weather was exceptionally harsh, with strong northern winds canceling two planned landings. However, the weather calmed slightly in the afternoon, allowing permission to go ashore. When they reached the shore, surrounded by glacial scenery and snow-covered mountains rising from the waterline, they saw something extraordinary.
Among thousands of Antarctic fur seals lay a newborn pup, its umbilical cord still attached. But what stunned them was that it wasn’t an ordinary pup—it was completely white. It turns out that one in 10,000 pups is born white, and usually, these pups don’t survive due to their bright color attracting predators and because mothers tend to reject offspring that don’t match the typical coloration.
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.
Sharon’s 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.
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. “My guiding vision is to connect photographers from around the world with the Israeli photography community,” Sharon explains. “I work with leading photographers and well-known organizations in the field, and I try to create genuine collaborations and connections between worlds.”
This latest encounter will be forever etched among his most unique experiences—a wonder that only nature can create. “Meeting the pup in its first hours of life was exceptional and intriguing in terms of behavior, survival, and future monitoring,” says Sharon. “What 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—far 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.”
