A Harbor Seal was spotted near 90th Street on the rocks next to the Hudson River on Thursday. Jane Kenney, who took the photo above, told us the seal appeared to be dead.
Harbor seals have become more frequent visitors to the waters around New York City in the past couple of decades, though it’s still a little startling to see one up close.
“The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) was once an abundant species in New York harbor, but overhunting, habitat degradation and pollution rendered this large mammal a rare sight for much of the 20th century,” a naturalist wrote in the Times a few years ago. “It is hard to identify a single cause, but by most accounts seal numbers began to rebound in the early 1990s.”
Thanks to Pete Seeger and all the Clearwater folks, the mighty Hudson suports actual life in the past decade or so.
Thanks to the North River sewage treatment plant. Before that plant opened in the 1980s all the west side sewage just went right out into the river.
Good news about Seeger and the Clearwater folks, and
Happy St Patrick’s everyone!
Oh no. I hope it’s not the same one that was using Inwood Canoe Club’s planks to bask on during two or three days in February. It was quite healthy and well-padded.