A seal has been spotted resting along some North Florida beaches over the last few days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Southeast tweeted Tuesday.
News4Jax has taken a couple of calls about the marine mammal. Biologists are monitoring the harbor seal pup, which comes in for a rest every now and then.
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Franchesca Swierz posted a video on Facebook of the seal, saying she came across it Monday while walking on the beach in St. Johns County.
Amazing walk on the beach today & came across this cutie 🥰
Posted by Franchesca Swierz on Monday, February 8, 2021
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has seen the seal and asks beach walkers to make sure their dogs are on leashes.
If you spot the seal, give it 50 yards of space and report the sighting to 1-877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343).
Biologists are currently monitoring a seal spotted resting along some North Florida beaches over the past few days. It is normal for them to come in and take a rest. Please give them space (50 yards), keep dogs on a leash and report sightings to 1-877-WHALE-HELP Photo:@MyFWC pic.twitter.com/GgRdhiBW86
— NOAA Fish Southeast (@NOAAFish_SERO) February 9, 2021
In 2018, a fisherman encountered a seal near the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in St. Johns County. FWC tried to locate the seal, but it’s unclear whether it was ever sighted again.
According to NOAA, on the U.S. East Coast, harbor seals are found from the Canadian Arctic to New York and as far south as the Carolinas.