The Seal Serpent
(SURREAL SEAL CAMPAIGN)
A web site dedicated to the possible existence of a Seal with a long neck.......
UPDATED 3/07
(Not by popular demand!)
New Chapters/Info!
INTRODUCTION
The theory of a Seal with a long neck was proposed in its modern form by Dr Bernard Heuvelmans, a zoologist, in the late 1950s as an attempt to explain sightings of long necked `Sea Serpents` that typically described some mammalian and very seal like characteristics. These included descriptions of hair, fur and even whiskers, accounts which could have been describing seals except for the fact that these creatures appeared to have longer necks than presently known Pinnipeds.
The theory initially, was quite popular, offering a veritable mammalian Plesiosaur, however over the years it has become a rather unfashionable one for two main, generalised, reasons. These are that firstly no pinniped, living or dead appears to have possessed such a long neck and that if such a creature did exist, being a pinniped it would be tied to land for periods of its life such as giving birth, thus implying that it would surely have been discovered by now. However, after spending much time contemplating the theory and studying the life, behavior and biology of the pinnipeds, I have come to the conclusion that the theory may not be as outlandish as it first appears. The results of this study are presently residing in an unpublished manuscript entitled "The Case for The Surreal Seal"
The aim of this website is to encourage further debate on the subject and raise awareness of the theory.
A Brief History of The Long Necked Seal
Long Necked Seal ( Stefano Maugeri).
Image from Virtual Institute of Cryptozoology.
THE MACKINTOSH BELL ACCOUNT
This account is arguably the most convincing for a seal with a long neck and took place off the Orkneys (Hoy), in 1919. The witness was on holiday and helping some friends out on a fishing boat. His friends had seen the animal previously and had just commented about it when right on cue, it appeared.A full account can be found in Heuvelmans, "In The Wake of The Sea Serpents", pages 402-404.The animal was described as being about 20ft. long and the sketches made by the witness appear to leave little doubt as to what sort of creature was seen.
To the best of my knowledge this account has never been brought into question or designated a hoax, which would indicate that a seal with a long neck does or has existed. Other edited chapters from my manuscript can be viewed below. However due to copyright laws the many illustrative photos included in the originals are not reproduced in the pages.
The Pinnipeds, an Introduction
Dinosaurs that look like seals or Seals That Look Like Dinosaurs?
The Pinnipeds
The pinnipeds are usually divided into three families, The Phocidae (True or Earless Seals), The Otariidae (Fur Seals and Sea Lions) and The Odobenidae (Walrus).There are currently 33 species. The Walrus was once thought to be more closely related to the Otariids, but is now thought to be nearer to the Phocids and it is interesting in that although it forms a seperate family it shares both phocid and otariid characteristics while having evolved a unique attribute of its own, its tusks, which were not apparent in its fossil ancestors.
The following speculation is a very brief summary of some of the conclusions I have reached in "The Case for The Surreal Seal".The manuscript is much more deatailed and represents a logical approach to the history and witness accounts as well as a speculative natural history for such an animal.
A Long Neck?
Although an archaic phocid, acrophoca
longirostris, has been termed a `swan necked seal`, and otariids have fairly
long flexible necks that can appear exaggerated, no known pinniped has evolved
a neck as long as those reported in witness accounts.
A Giraffe has a long neck which it uses to feed on the leaves of tall trees,
while the Plesiosaur used its neck to dart at fishes. In both cases such
attributes are concerned with one of the primary needs of any animal, to
obtain food. In fact the fearsome
Leopard Seal (phocid), renown for its reptilian appearance and sinuous
neck, actually uses its neck to feed by coiling it back and striking at its
prey like a snake. A long neck then in a seal, when combined with its swimming
ability, may be something of a bonus in predation . The use of this asset may
theoretically reduce energy expenditure, favouring energy conservation and
therefore allowing the animal to stay fairly active (and elusive!?).
Sociably Reproductive?
Although The Sea Otter which has evolved to its present form in the last 5-7 million years, can give birth on land or in the sea, the pinnipeds which have taken 25 million years to evolve to their present form, must all return to land to give birth. Some phocids such as Harbour Seals give birth in the shallow water or on sand banks and their pups are born with a sea going pelt while the Hooded Seal (phocid) has the shortest weaning period of any mammal, four days.Baikal Seals and Ringed Seals (phocids), give birth and raise their young in ice caves while the Mediterranean Monk Seal, (phocid), an endagered species, has also adopted a secluded, cave bound existence for much of its life. Around the British Isles, Grey Seals are often found utilising inaccessible coastal caves. Otariids are also known to make use of caves and on the east coast of America the famous Sea Lion Caves are home to both Fur Seals and Sea Lions.
Another important point that seems to have been overlooked is the fact that it is only when an abundant species of seal `hauls out`, that we see vast hordes of interactive animals, but not all species of pinniped are abundant. The Caribbean Monk Seal (phocid), is now thought to be extinct, while there are currently approximately 500 Mediterranean Monk Seals, 1500 Hawaiian Monk Seals and 2500 Guadalupe Fur Seals in existence. In comparison there are approximately 145,000 California Sea Lions, 550-750,000 Southern Elephant Seals and over a million Northern Fur Seals. Even in fairly abundant species such as the Leopard Seal, little is known of reproductive behaviour and very few people have ever seen a Leopard Seal pup, despite the fact that there are thought to be in the region of 440,000 animals existing. So if a seal with a long neck exists and we logically conclude that it is rare, possibly utilising some of the above strategies then sightings may be very few and far between. Needless to say that there are still plenty of remote areas of coastline around the world. Also of note is the fact that species such as Fur Seals are quite nocturnal in habit, making possible sightings even less likely.
WHAT SORT OF SEAL?
Heuvelmans
preferred an otariid identity based on possible accounts of Sea Serpents seen
moving on land and he speculated that there was probably one, cosmopolitan
species. An otariid identity would also account for sightings of ears on such
creatures and would mean that there could be a higher degree of sexual
diamorphism in the species. For instance male seals tend to be bigger than
females and have more built up head and neck regions while male Fur Seals also
have manes (an attribute apparent in many sightings of long necked Sea
Serpents),. Therefore a female of the species may have a much shorter neck and
be less conspicuous than the male. Another interesting speculation was made by
Professor Roy Mackal, in his book "Searching for Hidden Animals", (Cadogan
Books, 1983). Mackal told of a rather frightening creature which was the
scourge of Eskimos around King Island in Alaska, called `Tizheruk`. This
animal was said to have a 6-7ft. neck and a tail with a flipper on the end and
was known to attack man. It could be called by tapping on the side of a boat
which as Mackal found out is a sure fire way of attracting a Leopard Seal
(Leopard Seals are only found in the Antarctic). He concluded that a phocid
species, an equivalent northern version of the Leopard Seal which had evolved
a longer neck, may be responsible. This however raises an interesting
question. Documented accounts of long necked Sea Serpents do not include any
hostility on the part of the animal, in fact just the opposite. So does this
mean that Mackals animal is a seperate species?Alternatively it could be
speculated that like the Walrus, a new family of pinniped has evolved that
shares both phocid and otariid charecteristics. If this is so then it could be
possible that as a new species it may be recent, reducing the need for fossil
evidence and giving some scope to the idea of aquatic birth
FEEDBACK
If
you have found this topic interesting then please do not hesitate to contact
me. I would especially welcome any opinions from any open minded zoologists or
marine mammal specialists. Ideally I would like to form a discusion group on
the subject.
I
would also welcome any information on archaic pinnipeds such as acrophoca
longirostris and others, as well as information on pinnipedimorphs.
Any
information on Tizheruk (Pal Rui Yuk) would be appreciated as would any
accounts of long necked Sea Serpents that seem to allude to a seal with a long
neck, as well as any background information on The Filey and Mackintosh Bell
encounter.
Any
royalty free photos of pinnipeds to include in this website would be welcomed.
Oh
yes, and anyone who fancies surveying U.K. shores for such animals, or has
money to fund research and expeditions in search of such charming animals is
also welcome to contact me.
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Contact Me
Electronic mail address
robert@cornes1.fsnet.co.uk
Web address
http://www.cornes1.fsnet.co.uk