Seals on the move

An Arctic seal was found on Sept. 15 on a beach in southern North Carolina on the southeastern coast of the United States.

The 1.5-metre seal growled at beachgoers before it was taken to the state aquarium.

Half a dozen seals have been brought to the facility in the past two months.

Seals have also been found as far south as Florida and the Caribbean, and at least 12 seals were spotted this summer in Spain as well.

Warmer waters may also help explain why seals are traveling far from home.

Alfredo López, president of La Coruña’s Center for the Study of Marine Mammals in Spain, said rising temperatures in the Arctic may be encouraging seals to swim far from home.

“We think that because temperatures in the areas where young seals normally grow are higher, they go looking for colder waters further at sea,” he said.

López also reported seal sightings in Morocco and Mauritania.