Monk seals shun the limelight and choose quiet caves and coves to relax, but a sociable seal on Samos broke tradition and hung out with tourists and locals at a busy beach. Named Argyro by local fisherman, the monk seal is a regular who seems to enjoy human company. She enjoys finding sunny spots at local beaches and recently, even, started mimicking human behavior by climbing onto sunbeds.

Naturally, the seals popularity has soared, but Greece’s Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation are worried and have tried to deter attention from this rare creature. Argyro is just one of 450 monk seals remaining in the world and human interaction could prove harmful, but Argyro flings caution to the wind and ignores all attempts by marine biologists to coax her away from her human friends.

The friendly seal’s nature has won her a lot of friends young and old who have organized protection programs to inform people about the monk seals and how they should behave when encountering one.

Watch her interact with the locals –