Rescued Fur Seal chillin' with the tip of its flippers in the pool

This fur seal got attacked by a dog and was rescued by S.O.S Rescate de Fauna Marina, in Uruguay. He is not 100% yet, so he is still waiting for his release. Once he is fully cured and strong, he will go back to the ocean. In the meantime, he lives a carefree life, not having to worry about predators or finding food. Just like a human, he enjoys lying by the pool, with his hind flippers in the water. How adorable is that?!

Although they have "seal" in the name, Fur Seals are actually more closely related to Sea Lions than to True Seals, belonging to the Otariidae family. Otariids are also known as "eared seals". Not only do they have external ear flaps, unlike true seals (Phocids), but they also have much larger flippers and can actually walk on land, instead of galumphing, like true seals.

There are nine species of Fur Seals in the world: the Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella), the Brown Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus), the Galapagos Fur Seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis), the Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi), the Juan Fernández Fur Seal (Arctocephalus philippii), the New Zealand Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), the South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis), the Subantarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis), and the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus). As you may have noticed, the Northern Fur Seal is the only extant member of its genus, with all other Fur Seal species belonging to the Arctocephalus genus.

Allowing pets to roam around freely outdoors (as well as homeless cats and dogs) poses a huge threat to wildlife, as their instinct is to hunt/protect their territories, and attack wildlife, even though they have been domesticated. Pets are responsible for the deaths of many native animals. Please do your part in preventing more unnecessary deaths, and keep your pets on a leash when outside.