ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH
A seal that came ashore sick and underweight Tuesday night has pneumonia, but the creature ate its first fish in captivity Thursday.
Virginia Marine Science Museum spokeswoman Alice Scanlan said the juvenile male hooded seal was being treated by the museum with antibiotics and vitamins. The museum has treated the seal since it came ashore Tuesday night.
Veterinarians and biologists X-rayed the animal Wednesday night to make sure it had not eaten any rocks, which seals eat when they are very hungry. No stones were found, she said.
The seal weighs about 65 pounds. Although underweight, the creature is in stable condition, Scanlan said.
``We want to get this guy back on his feet and release him,'' she said.
Unlike harbor seals, which periodically visit Virginia Beach, hooded seals rarely venture so far from their range around Iceland and Greenland. In recent years, hooded seals have sporadically been reported along the Atlantic coast in the United States as well as in Europe.
Male hooded seals reach lengths of about 8 feet and weights between 700 and 900 pounds. In the adult male, the nasal cavity is enlarged to form the inflatable hood that distinguishes the species. The hood inflates to about twice the size of a soccer ball and is used in shows of dominance during mating.
Museum officials said the fate of this seal follows a pattern found in nature.
``The first year is the hardest for a seal,'' said Susan Barco, a marine biologist and a lead researcher for the museum's team for stranded marine life. ``A lot of seals die in the first year after mom leaves.''
Barco said baby seals get little parental nurturing.
``They hang out on the beach sucking milk from mom for a few weeks, then, wham, you're out on your own kid,'' she said. ``If they have good genes, and hunting skills and navigation skills, they can make it.''
The seal had been swimming in the water off the resort beaches for the past week, oceanfront residents said.
While it is normal for a seal to emerge from the water to rest, it was obvious this seal was sick. Instead of the usual football shape that a healthy seal has, this seal is shaped more like a torpedo. It was also shivering. And it didn't bolt when approached.
Despite its illness, the seal has shown signs of being aggressive, snapping at people.
``They're not as cute as they look when you've got to mess with them,'' Barco said.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. A sick hooded seal, far from its home in the Arcticby CNBOcean, is being treated for pneumonia in Virginia Beach.