A
rather intriguing account of an unusual pinniped is recorded by Robert Ball Esq., M.R.I.A, in Remarks on the Species of Seals (Phocidæ)Inhabiting the Irish Seas (1837). It is included within the work as an interesting footnote following a discussion on the Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata).
R. W. MillWray, Esq., of County Mayo, kindly favoured me with the
following account, in reply to an inquiry of mine as to a seal said to have
been seen by him Inniscarrow Reef, about eight miles from Westport;
It was a favourite haunt of seals
and on the day I saw the extraordinary species you allude to, there could not
be less than 150 seals basking on it. I got my hooker to windward of the Reef,
which was the opposite side to where they lay, and dropped down gently with the
punt without using an oar, lest I should alarm them, and landed, accompanied by
one of my boatmen. In a few minutes we crept to within fifty yards of them,
where I singled out and shot the largest I could see, (which weighed afterwards
twenty-six stone, and was nearly six feet long), as he was quite dead when I
got up to him, I ran on, after loading my rifle again, to the edge of the
water, where the whole herd had plunged in, when I fired, knowing I was sure of
a shot on their rising, which many of them invariably do within a few yards of
where they dive. As there was a considerable descent to the water's edge I had
nothing to rest my rifle on, which from its great weight and length, upwards of
five feet, I am generally obliged to do I made my boatman stoop, and rested it
on his back, and almost immediately the extraordinary seal came to the surface,
and I had ample time to observe him. The head was greatly larger than any I had
ever seen, with immense bladder-like protuberances over the eyes, inclining to
the sides of the head. The forehead appeared also uncommonly enlarged, and as I
thought, deeply furrowed and wrinkled, lessening gradually to the protuberances
at either side. It had external ears like a hound, but much smaller in
proportion to the size of the head. The colour was light brown, but it did not
appear to me to have spots like our common seal. I am quite certain it was much
more than twice as large as any of our common kind. From the uncouth, and I
might say very unnatural appearance of the animal, my poor boatman's
superstitious fears so completely got the better of him, that he made a sudden
start, and fell forward among the rocks on which we were, and in the fall my
rifle went off, of course without effect, and I saw no more of the seal. I had
my boatmen on the lookout for several tides, both there and at several other of
their haunts on the coast, but never heard of him since. I recollect seeing one
of the same kind, or at least having the protuberances, near the Island of
Anticosti, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and last year, on my return to Oban from
Staffa, a gentleman told me he saw one a few days before in the Sound of Ulva
that had external ears, and an unusually large head.
Hooded seals (below) are usually found in Arctic waters but are known to wander widely, having been
spotted as far afield as Puerto Rico.
In
2001 one was discovered in Co. Wexford, Ireland and was taken to the Irish Seal
sanctuary. It was eventually released 140 miles off of the Galway coast. In fact over 130 dead or stranded individuals have been found all over
the place in the last 20 years or so including the Canary Islands, The Gulf of
Maine and even the Mediterranean.
One was in fact reported in the Irish Naturalist (vol.9),
1900, by one R.M Gilmore, in the same geographical area.
In the summer of 1898, I chanced to see a fine specimen of this
polygamous and pugnacious seal Cystophora cristaid while it was leaving the
shore and making out to sea. A man, who was gathering seaweed, disturbed it
while it was basking on shore. He was evidently quite as much frightened at it
as it was of him. The inflated hood gave the animal's head quite a human
appearance. On seeing it, I proceeded with all possible haste to the spot. By
the time I reached the edge of the water it was fully fifteeen yards from the
shore. I had an admirable view of it. While swimming away to sea, it kept one
eye steadily fixed on the shore and on its intruders. The man, who disturbed
it, was awe stricken, and addressing me said what is it? I informed him that it
was a seal. As he seemed incredulous, I explained that it was not a common
seal; that it was a rare visitor to the Irish coast. As this man is a frequent
visitor to the sea-shore, and has often seen the Common Seal Phoca vitulina,
his not having previously seen this sort is testimony that the Hooded Seal is a
rare visitor to Galway Bay.
Anticosti Island to which Millwray refers to in the footnote, is home to hooded seals and
presumably a sighting of a very large vagrant specimen might
explain his encounter, certainly the bladder
like protuberances over the eyes. However these animals are phocid or true seals and lack visible ears like a
dog.
Otariid or eared seals are not indigenous to Europe and although our research in The Seal Serpent has identified the significant fact that a number of otariids have escaped captivity or been released in Europe over the last 100 years or so and are likely to lie behind some lake monster reports, it was not really until the late 1860s that they became of real interest to European naturalists which led to their importation. Species such as the Cape fur seal were certainly exploited by European sailors from the early 17th century and a few may have been brought back as pets or curiosities (which were then released/escaped), but they dont really match the description and are a lot smaller in size. Similarly the only other pinniped which would match the size reported and have odd features would be the walrus, another species which is known to wander widely. But the walrus has conspicuous tusks and no visible external ears.
The fact that a similar eared pinniped was apprently seen a short while later on the Isle of Mull (a good stopping off point before the Caledonian Canal), is also intriguing. To add to this intrigue a further specimen or perhaps the same creature was later apparently killed in nearby Islay.
Mr. Moore exhibited a stuffed specimen and skull of
an eared seal lately collected in Islay presented to the Free Museum by Captain
Cawne Warren, associate of the society, specimens of which seals are very rare
in collections.
Liverpool Mercury - Tuesday 03 November 1868
(Google maps)
So are these descriptions of visible ears simply mistakes or did some form of otariid exist in the North Atlantic at one time, perhaps a species similar to the Steller sea lion (below)? Interestingly, male sea lions do develop a prominent sagittal crest as they grow which might have looked slightly unusual.
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Apologies to anyone who is trying to comment on the blog, I am not sure the function is working and cant work out what is wrong (robcornes1@btinternet.com)
(Adapted from The Seal Serpent)
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