JM Grinchen 1948 Hair Seal cannot stay or does not stay. 2 June can not stay under as long as the adult. The sow will stay with the pup even though she realize that danger is near. We chased one particular sow & her pup. The pair would submerge and the pup came up about fifty feet away. about 10 seconds later then the sow came up. About five seconds later they both submerged. Thirty feet away the pup surfaced. The sow came up a second later, grabbed him in her mouth just behind the head & pulled him under. About fifty feet farther on they came up again and we shot them. The mother sank. The pup was 2 1/2 inches long. It's umbilical cord still attached 2 inches long. Mr Kohlssee said that new born pups are about 1/2 the length of the mother.