As human beings, it’s easy to forget that we share this planet with a lot of other creatures. We know that there are millions of species of animals and plants, and more are discovered every single year. According to factmonster.com, there are around 1.5 million species recorded, but scientists project that there are actually anywhere from 2 to 50 million total species.
That’s an enormous number, considering that humans are a single species. Obviously, since we share the planet with so many animals, we are bound to bump into them from time to time. As humans continue to grow in population and develop more land, the animals’ habitats get smaller.
One place where animals have a little more freedom is in the water. Humans can’t live in the water like they can, and much of our world’s oceans remain unexplored. We can only interact with fish and species of marine mammals using specialized equipment.
That doesn’t always mean scuba diving or submarines — with just a wetsuit and a snorkel you can meet some new friends like the people in the video. They encountered a group of sea lions, with one particularly friendly sea lion pup. As they swam, several sea lions can be seen bobbing in the background, but this one pup was hilariously curious about the visiting humans.
The adorable creature swam from person to person, inviting them to swim and play. It chewed on their goggles, climbed on their backs, and even gave wet, salty, puppy kisses. I wonder if sea lion pups have “puppy breath?” Everyone, including the snorkelers, appears to be having a lot of fun!
Watch the precocious sea lion in the video below and please like and share!