Meet The “Ugly Duckling” Ginger Seal Who Became An Outcast In His Colony For His Unusual Color

Carolyn Mullet
Jun 15, 2023
Jun 15, 2023

"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.” The scientists working in the area named the weird albino seal pup the "Ugly Duckling".

Source: Vladimir Burkanov

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 give the pup a higher risk of being rejected by the rookery.

Vladimir Burkanov, the biologist currently working in the area, states that while the albino seal pup hasn't become a complete outcast, there are indications of it being somewhat excluded.

Source: Vladimir Burkanov

“This pup looks well-fed and was very active, so its mother clearly gave it plenty of milk,” Burkanov told 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.”

See the clip here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vladimir Burkanov (@bigdaddivladi)

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.

Source: Vladimir Burkanov

When his video of the adorable albino seal went viral, Burkanov followed up with another photo featuring a different albino seal, which had been spotted back in 2017 by photographer Sergey Fomin.

This one was captured by photographer Sergey Fomin back in 2017

Source: 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.”

Similarly, another albino seal was spotted in 2011.

Source: Today

This one is a ginger fur seal called Nafanya. The animal had to be rescued and flown to the Sochi Dolphinarium on the Black Sea.

Share this article