Sleepless in seal-attle - PHOTO

As he laps up the last beams of British sunshine as he lies comfortably on the sand, this little pup looks the picture of peace and relaxation.This adorable seal was captured by Welsh carpenter and joiner Geoffrey Baker, 58, after a trip to Donna Nook on the North East coast of England.'I was lying flat on the sand with my camera photographing an adult seal when I noticed this pup settling down for a nap,' said Geoffrey.'He was looking towards me so I slowly swung myself around and took some shots.'The pup seemed to be resting its head on its flipper and had closed its eyes. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the shot.'It wasn't long before it had turned over again and the moment had passed and I realised I may never get another photo like that, ever.'Spending most of their time in water, seals must learn to sleep in hectic conditions and keep half of their brain is awake so that they can detect and escape from predators.However, when asleep on land, both sides of their brain go into sleep mode, so they are able to fall into a much deeper snooze.Geoffrey explains: 'When we got to our location we slowly approached the seals, careful not to cause them any stress.'Very soon they accepted us, realising that we meant them no harm and soon they were ignoring our presence altogether.'You have to be prepared for anything when working with wildlife, they rarely pose the way you want them to but this little pup seemed to love having his photo taken.'It was a privilege to be guests in their world and to be able to study and photograph them; it was an experience that I will never forget.'I felt very humble.'I've never really thought much about seals before, but now I have a massive respect for them.'It's amazing how they manage to survive in such a bleak environment both day and night in all weathers and even manage to bring up their pups there too.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az