Strike a pose! The nosey sea lion pups who couldn't resist their reflections in the camera

Strike a pose! The nosey sea lion pups who couldn't resist their reflections in the camera

By Mail Foreign Service

Last updated at 10:24 AM on 11th February 2010

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In a 'nosey' encounter these adorable sea lion pups could melt the stoutest heart as they playfully pose for underwater pictures.

The naughty duo, thought to be young sisters, kept giving their watchful mother the slip so they could swim over to investigate British marine biologist Rory Moore.

Rory was tagging manta rays near Los Islotes, Mexico, last month, when the chance encounter with the sea lions occurred.

Curious: A sea lion pup poses for the camera in an underwater encounter in Los Islotes, Mexico

The inquisitive scamps followed Rory for over an hour as he worked in the shallows, checking their reflections in his camera and playing with the bubbles from his scuba gear.

'They were like playful puppies,' said Welshman Rory.

'Their mum kept coming over and shepherding them back onto nearby rocks as if she was telling them off. She was big and quite scary.

'But they kept jumping back into the water and coming straight over to see what I was doing.

'As mammals they are highly intelligent. Even as youngsters they are very curious about what is going in their surroundings.

'They were most intrigued by their own reflections in the camera. I was using a reflective cover, called a 'dome port', over my lens, which helps produce better underwater images.

Showing off: This pup spins upside-down as she ogles at the camera

'The sea lions were using it like a mirror and eyeing themselves up. They had probably never seen their reflections like that before.'

And even though the pups would pause to look into the mirror, capturing them on camera was still tough for diver Rory, from Crickhowell, Wales.

'They were whizzing around like little darts,' he said.

'Despite being small they are still incredibly fast.

Hold that pose: Marine biologist Rory Moore gets ready to snap the exuberant sea lion

'They were a real treat to have around. They even tried to hop into our boat when we left. They just want to have a good nose at everything and leave no stone unturned.'

Scientist Rory was in the Sea of Cortez, near La Paz, as part of a project to study manta rays.

Scientists think the rays are returning to the area once more after being practically wiped out from the area through over-fishing.

Catch my good side: The pup brushes her nose against the camera lens