A SPECULATIVE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LONG NECKED SEAL
Although it is possible for a new type of species to evolve sometimes quite suddenly, I have used the following speculation to illustrate how a seal may have evolved a long neck and offered some scope for its theoretical evolution to its possible present day status. It is certainly not to be accepted as definitive as it is pure conjecture on my part. It is cited here in the hope that it will encourage constructive thought on the subject.
" About 5-7 million years ago, a species of seal, possibly otariid, began to forage inland traversing rivers and lakes. Such foraging activity allowed the species to exploit the abundance of food sources found in such areas and offered an ideal place to give birth and rear young."
As we have already seen in the case of the sea otter, 5-7 million years is a suitable period of time for a new species to evolve and geologically speaking, is quite recent. We have some knowledge of pinniped dispersal in the past and presumably groups of pinnipeds would have broken off and explored different areas in search of suitable habitats, eventually leading to their present distributions. A relict population of harbour seals inhabits a Canadian lake, Lac du Loups Marins, near Quebec where for some reason they became separated from their kin about 8000 years ago. We also know that one species, the baikal seal adapted to a freshwater environment and has flourished to the present day.
I have chosen an otariid identity as otariids have a tendency for a longer neck and display more sexual dimorhism. We have learned however that a phocid such as the leopard seal also has a predisposition for a sinuous neck and that the fossil seals acrophoca longirostris and acrophoca piscophoca are phocine.
Even today, species of seal, including the largest, somehow mange to overcome the many man made obstacles that they encounter to similarly make such journeys into lakes and rivers sometimes being found many miles from the sea. In the not so distant past, such obstacles would not have been present and therefore such a journey would have been easier to make. An otariid seal would also have the ability to be able to travel overland to a certain degree without too much difficulty. For instance, according to Mariane Reidman in, "The Pinnipeds", a male California sea lion made two journeys from the sea into down town San Francisco and was found on both occasions in a public toilet! Apparently the Gents! Another group of sea lions apparently commandeered an old house on Ano Nuevo Island in California, climbing the stairs and finding solace in the bathtub. In fact otariid seals are very good climbers and can traverse large rock formations in their usual environment. Recently at a safari park in Wiltshire (UK) some have been seen literally `branching out`. A group of sea lion pups have been nicknamed `tree lions`, as they have been observed climbing along the limbs of trees that overhang a lake and diving off into the water.1
Environmental Exploitation
At certain times of the year, for instance at spawning season, large numbers of fish would be found in rivers and lakes, offering an easy opportunity for predation. As we have seen previously some seals manage to take advantage of inland fish supplies found in Scottish Lochs while some California sea lions are actively practicing such exploitation, with groups found lying in wait at the mouths of rivers earning a reputation for being pests.
Riverbanks and the shores of lakes, may also have potentially offered plenty of room for hauling out and therefore giving birth which could have been timed to coincide with such a journey inland. The enclosed environment would possibly then be used as a convenient safe, nursery and it is known that different species of pinniped in different locations tend to exhibit patterns of movement and diving that suit their particular foraging habitat.
In June 1937 while out on a boat in Loch Ness Anthony Considine and a friend reported that they had both observed three creatures off their stern, which were about three feet long. The creatures had long necks, four limbs and were swimming away from the boat. The witnesses likened the limbs to flippers and described how the rear two were held close to the body and were being used to push the animals forward. How delightful baby Nessies. Needless to say the report has been interpreted as being nothing more than a report of otters as three feet is about the size of an otter. The apparent lack of tails and method of movement does however remind one of a phocid seal swimming. If we also remember the Connemara pools, home to the elusive `horse eels` we could even speculate that the geography of this location is used
as some form of unsupervised nursery. The legendary animals being reported here possibly are nothing more than juveniles, which could then account for the differences in description between them and other familiar long necked lake monsters.
Intriguing, possibilities, but just possibilities all the same.
At mating season most seals will starve, the females looking after their young while the males compete for harems, which can be a very exhausting period. An enclosed environment may have therefore made it easier to obtain food during this period keeping the family unit together and once young had been reared, a return journey could then be made back to the sea.
"Over the centuries, these migratory journeys became an important part of the seals ecology, reducing the need to rely on a purely marine existence, thus enabling the species to thrive free from competition and predation. The rich and easily obtainable food supply, present at certain times of the year, promoted an increase in size, which in turn precipitated a need to conserve energy expenditure. As a result, the species began to rely more heavily on the flexibility of their neck to obtain food and in time the already flexible otariid neck grew longer, thus favouring energy conservation."
Paul Harrison in his book “Sea Serpents and Lake Monsters of The British Isles” recounts correspondence with a lady called Helen Hadley who passed onto him an interesting report from some of her friends. (I had also corresponded with her some time ago). Apparently while kayaking around the Isles of Jura in Scotland her friends entered an underwater cave where to their horror they found the carcasses of several dead sheep. Whether these sheep had been sea-going feeders that had drowned or whether they were the victims of something far more sinister is not known. However if a large carnivorous animal has been forced to look for alternative food sources, well…who knows?
A head situated on a long neck may also have aided in navigation, both at sea and on the land and as we have seen, the neck in an otariid also enables it to move quite quickly when out of the water providing momentum by a swinging action.
" As mankind grew in number, spreading slowly around the world, sightings of such creatures became embroiled in superstition and fable, giving birth to the `water kelpie` and similar folkloric tales. Continued exploitation of these waterways destroyed much delicate ecology along the way.
From the dawn of industrialisation onward, mans ability for such, grew ever more impressive until today, whether it is lakes, rivers or the sea, mankind pursues a living and pleasure from bodies of water. As a result the species was forced to retreat into more remote areas and back into the sea, where it found itself in direct competition with its sea going cousins who were also competing against man, thus leading to a decline in the species as a whole.
Today, if not already extinct or on the verge of extinction, such animals are rare, their infrequent appearances still generating tales of sea and lake monsters the world over."
Here we have an interesting scenario, which could account for some lake monster as well as sea serpent sightings and may also go some way to explain their rarity today. In the last few hundred years mankind has spread and industrialised like no other time in its history with many adverse environmental effects, (which incidentally also seems to coincide with the rise of sea serpent reports although also with mans modernised assault on the sea).
It is not hard to understand especially in the present `eco friendly` climate how environmental changes can cause the demise of a specific species.
1A rather old tale, which may be just that, comes from around Washington Lake in America. It concerns a local trapper who discovered the carcass of a miniature lake monster. It had a barrel like body, short stubby legs with webbed feet, no tail and a neck that looked like a snake. The head was small but contained a number of well-formed teeth. Unfortunately after seeking advice from a priest who thought it was the work of the devil, the body was burned!
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