Meet Neil, The Social Media-Famous Elephant Seal Causing Chaos Everywhere He Goes
Sometimes, you're walking down a suburban street and see a squirrel or a rabbit sitting on the grass. If you're lucky, maybe you'll spot a wild turkey or even a deer looking at the world. But have you ever just stumbled upon a one-ton elephant seal soaking up the sun on a sidewalk? No? Well, then, you have obviously never encountered Neil the Seal, who has become a social media star for seemingly causing chaos wherever he goes.
@neiltheseal316 Neil the Seal sleeping peacefully and minding his own business before the marine conservation and parks and wildlife wanted to move him to the beach 🦭🚨🦺🚧 #neiltheseal#wildlifeprotection#communityvoices#animalwelfare
Neil has made such a splash that he's even got his own TikTok page with over 1.6 million followers, where online fans can watch videos of the elephant seal roaming neighborhood streets near where he lives in Tasmania. He's often shown sleeping on sidewalks, getting rowdy in the street, and even confidently knocking over small pillars and traffic cones. Locals have been quick to call for leaving him alone, as he's just living his life, but there are videos of authorities trying to wrangle the seal back to the beach.
"Why is he always anywhere but in the sea," asked one viewer in the comments section of a TikTok video of Neil dislodging a pole, as another commenter stated, "I'm worried about all the attention that Neil is getting this year." And indeed, local authorities have issued a warning for out-of-town gawkers to respect the seal's boundaries because any close human-seal encounters could be dangerous for all involved. Just let the massive marine mammal have his space!
A little about elephant seals
Elephant seals are ocean giants with personalities to match, with adult males sporting a floppy trunk-like snout that inspired their name. There are two species of elephant seals, northern and southern, and the biggest males can outweigh an SUV at up to 8,800 pounds.
This type of seal usually spends at least nine months of the year at sea, diving deep for squid and fish while holding its breath for up to two hours. On land, dominant males can noisily battle over territory with loud bellowing coming from their trunk-like snouts. Once hunted almost to extinction, northern elephant seals bounced back thanks to protection efforts, and now there are hundreds of thousands of both varieties of these majestic mammals around the world.
Even though they may look like gentle ocean giants, elephant seals should be given plenty of space when they come ashore. Their size, unexpected speed, and natural instincts are no joke, even when they seem calm, with the recent online adventures of Neil the Seal serving as a good reminder that they are powerful wild creatures. Suffice it to say that watching from a safe distance is the best way to appreciate their goofy personalities without getting in their way. While you may have to stay away from an elephant seal if you ever encounter one, there are other friendly wild animals that love humans and ways you can help wildlife, like a stranded sea turtle at the beach.