Guys….I have an embarrassing confession. Sometimes I think marine mammals are really cute, and want to hug them. I KNOW, I can’t believe I’m actually admitting this on the internet – but it’s true. There’s a reason that this shocking confession is coming to light now, and his video is below.
There’s a naming contest for this little guy, who now resides at New England Aquarium with his great big flippers and litte teeny ears! SQUEE! *ahem* I mean, this juvenile Callorhinus ursinus requires a specific designation *ahem* which you should submit by 5 PM EDT today.
While I completely understand the urge, you should never, ever touch or approach wild seals or sea lions – you’re hurting their chances of survival by stressing them out, especially the babies. BUT you CAN safely and responsibly snuggle fur seals at NEAQ! Which is awesome! I was lucky enough to get a tour last spring – here the photographic evidence of me and Baranoff the fur seal (who is actually blind but gets along just fine).
You can even play with his little toeses!
So, um, don’t tell anyone about this, ok?
Many thanks to NEAQ online outreach overlord Jeff Ives and New England Aquarium for the epic backstage tour!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqd7-erjDeQ
OMG. The orange stuff is the WORST.
looks like he broke the seal, there.
Ba-DUM CHING!
Thanks for the shoutout Miriam :)
The spined world welcomes ambassadors from zooplankton land.
And… drumroll… the winning name is Leu (pronounce Lou). It’s an abbreviation of Aleutian Islands, which is known to have populations of Northern fur seals.
Ofapproval