The Dogs of the Sea – Harbor Seals

He came over to see what we were doing.

Or, to fish or check out his tank.

This is actually a Grey Seal, I believe, if I’m reading my notes correctly.  The fatter speckled ones are the Harbor Seals, I think.

I wish I had video of this one.  He was hysterical.  He came out of his enclosure, barking, and waving his head back and forth like Stevie Wonder.  We think it may have been near the time they are fed.

This looks like it’s on its side, but it’s actually not – I was trying to get both of them in the same shot.  The one on the right seems to be the harbor seal, and the one on the left is the grey seal.

I love their whiskers!

One more of this show-off as he came over and came up out of the water for me.

These are the seals I grew up around – California sea lions.

So, I said yesterday I’d tell you a story about Pier 39.  When I was a kid, Pier 39 was a fun place to go.  It’s located on the bay in San Francisco, California, USA, and is literally the 39th pier along the wharf.  Filled with shops and eateries, it’s a good place to spend an afternoon.

Back then, the sea lions would come up along the shore under the wharf, which was a wooden structure along the coastline on top of which were built the shops and such.

And the tourists, predictably, would feed the seals.

A few years ago, there were reports of the now aggressive seals coming up onto the wharf and attacking tourists for food.  I’m not sure how exaggerated those reports were, but let’s face it: this is an animal weighing several hundred pounds.  It isn’t the most agile on dry land, but it can move along at startling velocity.

As much as I joke about wanting to pet the animals at the zoo, one must always remember that these are wild animals, and we are guests in their demesnes.  When researching some of my posts for the challenge, I happened to look up lions and human interactions, and came across several awful posts of recent deaths of photographers who, in their hubris, forgot this simple fact.

These are wild animals, not pets.

But I still wanna pet one.

Remember, A-Z fans, tomorrow has no post, being Sunday; check back on Monday when I reveal what the heck animal begins with the letter “I” – and it wasn’t easy!

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Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!