The presence of a glacial species on the tropical beach worries local biologists.
An immature southern seagull was sighted on Dalawella beach near the town of Unawatuna in southern Sri Lanka on November 20. Many locals and a wildlife conservation officer filmed the animal after receiving notification from the Sri Lankan Navy.
Asha de Vos, a marine biologist specializing in the study of blue whales in Sri Lanka, observes the seagull and updates its status. On November 23, she noted that the animal was still in Sri Lanka, apparently “lying down but injured”. However, Asha hadn’t seen him since the next day and didn’t know where he was now.
The southern seal is the largest species of seal in the world, males can be up to 4 m long. They can dive up to 2100 m deep. Their name is derived from an unusually large nose and a massive body. Researchers are uncertain whether the Sri Lankan seal is male or female because its body size indicates immature. Male statues do not develop an elephant-shaped nose until they mate at maturity, and females do not have this part.
The species lives in three populations in Antarctic and subantarctic waters. The largest population is distributed in the South Atlantic, while the other two reside in the islands of the Pacific and South Indian Oceans.
The marine populations closest to Sri Lanka are concentrated on Kerguelen Island. Although the island is over 6,200 km away, it is possible that sea seals swim along ocean currents. However, researchers are not sure why he made the trip.
“The seal is a very active swimmer, but it’s hard to guess why this seal abandoned its natural habitat and swam so far north. It looked exhausted and crawled onto the beach to rest.” “Asha said.
Although this is the first time that southern seals have been seen in Sri Lanka, they occasionally swim in the northern hemisphere. According to research in the journal Marine Mammal Science, fishermen have already shot and killed a seal in southern Oman in the Arabian Peninsula. The statue is not an endangered species due to its stable population. However, conservation experts consider the potential loss of spawning habitat from melting ice, which could threaten future fertility rates for this species.
