To be a young harbor seal taking some time from swimming to sun! A young seal was seen hanging out at the 79th Street Boast Basin yesterday morning the Parks Department.
Sergeant Rakeem Taylor told City Room, "He was moving around pretty fine, yawning and sunning himself," and estimated the seal to be "3 to 4 feet long and about 90 pounds." Taylor said that the seal's appearance means the Hudson is clean enough for him (or her) to fish her, “It’s not that unusual, but we don’t usually get a chance to see them. It’s about as unusual as getting the occasional coyote.”
Well, we haven't heard of coyotes since 2006, when one visited Central Park and another was spotted in Van Cortlandt Park. Seals, on the other hand (or flipper), have been spotted everywhere from the Gowanus Canal to Battery Park, not to mention the seals off the coast of South Beach.
And of course you can see seals at local zoos, like the Central Park Zoo, where rescued seals Herbie and Seven live.
Photograph from the NY Times
