You are not ugly. You are special.
This adorable orange ginger seal has recently been spotted in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia. Apparently, such albino seals as this one are exceptionally rare. According to the Daily Mail, “experts say the chances of such a partial albino birth are one in 100,000.”
As you can see, this ginger fur seal pup becomes an outcast in his colony because of its uniquely-colored fur and eyes. And his unusual looks bring the pup a higher risk of being rejected by the rookery.
Image Credits: Instagram
The weird albino seal pup is named the “Ugly Duckling” by the scientists working in the area.
According to the biologist Vladimir Burkanov, who is currently working in the area, the albino seal pup has not become a total outcast, yet there are signs of it being slightly shunned. “This pup looks well-fed and was very active, so its mother clearly gave it plenty of milk,” Burkanov spoke to the Daily Mail. “Other seals don’t pay too much attention to it in a somewhat worrying manner, so something is not quite right with it.”
Image Credits: Instagram
Vladimir Burkanov uploaded a short clip capturing the little seal on his Instagram account
He wrote: “‘Ugly Duckling’—albino fur seals are a rare occurrence. They actually look more red than white. This is a clear albino without any pigmentation even in its eyes,”.
“But it is not getting chased or bitten”
According to the biologist, the albino seal is believed to have poor eyesight, so the biologist is doubtful the seal will successfully breed. Currently, the pup is being monitored, and in case it is rejected by other seals, wildlife specialists are ready to rescue the mammal and hand it to a dolphinarium.
Image Credits: Instagram
There have been a few other cases of albino seals spotted by scientists
After his video capturing the little albino seal, it went viral. Burkanov later posted another photo, but this time, it was a different albino seal that was spotted back in 2017 by photographer Sergey Fomin.
“The animal was 2 or 3 years old and physically in good shape, even though it was clear it had poor sight,” Burkanov writes in his post. “The albino is now a mature bull of 5-6 years old. He did not participate in reproduction this season and was seen on the bachelor section of the rookery only. Perhaps this is the first documented case of the survival of a northern fur seal of an abnormal color to adulthood.”
This one was captured by photographer Sergey Fomin back in 2017
Image Credits: Instagram
Back in 2011, there was also another case of scientists spotting an albino seal, though this one—a ginger fur seal called Nafanya—had to be rescued and was flown to Sochi Dolphinarium on the Black Sea.
H/T: Boredpanda
