Sunbathing seal soaks up rays, as whales frolic offshore
While many woke up with a case of Mondayitis this morning, there was one guy happy to be an early riser.
A leopard seal was spotted at Nobbys Beach in Newcastle early on Monday, enjoying the beautiful morning sunshine.
Photographer Nick Murphy managed to capture the happy-looking creature on camera as he rolled around on the sand. Turns out that grin is actually more menacing than it seems. It is the seal’s way of telling others to back off.
Leopard seals can be very defensive creatures and have the strength and speed to capture and eat smaller animals such as penguins.
According to Jacqueline O’Neill, president of the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, the seal would have travelled up from Antarctica on a fishing expedition.
“We do get them from time to time,” she said.
“They come for a rest and stay a couple of hours, to a couple of days.
“This type of seal can be quite dangerous and there are cases of some nasty bites, so we are reminding people to enjoy from a distance.
“Legally people should remain 40 metres away.”
National Parks and Wildlife have sent out staff to keep an eye on the seal while he remains in town.
This is not the first seal to stop in for some rest and relaxation on the pristine local beaches.
A male long-nosed fur seal lapped up the attention at nearby Bar Beach last October.
Meanwhile, two humpback whales were breaching offshore.
More than 30,000 humpback whales are expected to make the journey to Queensland to calve and breed before heading back to Antarctica over the next six months.
Last week, local surfers at Cronulla were joined by some unexpected companions - migrating humpback whales.