Monk seal makes herself at home amongst the locals in Greece

A sociable seal on Samos Island, Greece has been busy making friends with the locals.

The friendly monk seal appears to be shunning its natural habitat in favour of busy beaches where she can hang out with other sunworshippers.

While monk seals normally choose quiet caves and peaceful coves as resting sites, this seal - named 'Argiro' by local fishermen - prefers the company of humans and has chosen a spot on some of the most bustling beaches on the island, even upgrading herself to a sunbed!

Unfortuantely, this unusual behavior is dangerous as humans pose the greatest threat to its species.

Greece's Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation team have attempted to deter attention and minimize human disturbance for Argiro in a bid to protect one of only 450 remaining monk seals worldwide. But this proved impossible as Argiro has returned to the beach time and time again.

The team has been monitoring the young monk seal since it was first spotted in March this year.

The friendly seal has made quite an impression on the local community and volunteers including fishermen, farmers, tourism professionals, students and teachers have all been making a special effort to protect Agiro by advising visitors on the beach on how to behave around her in order to minimise human contact.