The Pinniped Post

Last weekend I visited the Mystic Aquarium and took part in their "Sea Lion Spotlight" program.  This is a shorter encounter that occurs during one of their daily Sea Lion Shows, where the person taking part in the encounter will come up onto the stage and briefly interact with one of the Sea Lions in the show.  I absolutely loved it!   Complimentary rose, given to me by Cali the Sea Lion. In the past, I had taken part in Mystic Aquarium's "Seals Up Close" program and loved it - you can read about this encounter at this link .  There are also may other encounters which you can read about at this link , including a "Sea Lions Up Close" program (which is on my "to do" list).  The "Sea Lion Spotlight" encounter is held during one of the Sea Lion shows, where you will have a couple of minutes to interact with a Sea Lion on the stage during the show for a close-up and personal view. Introducing Cali, the Sea Lion th...

While thinking about the rotundness of the chonky Baikal Seal, I wondered if there were any other "chonkier" Seals that looked rounder.  I wondered if I could actually calculate a ranking of seal "chonkness."  Because Seals come in different lengths, I had to compare the width of a Seal in comparison to their length.  For example, if a Seal has a 7 foot width but a 25 foot length, they will not be as "chonky" as a Seal with a 4 foot width and a 4 foot length, who would be a perfect sphere of rotund beauty and an absolute chonk. Since Seals with a longer length remind me of a cucumber, I called those who were more oblong than spherical ones with "High Cucumber."  Of course, those Seals who were more of little squished ovals becoming close to spheres of happiness are those with "High Chonk."  Please see my drawings below.  High Chonk:  Seal Approaching a Spherical Shape My drawing  High Cucumber:  Seal Approaching an ...