When a man tried to make a video of himself touching a leopard seal that he thought was dead, he got more than he bargained.
The footage of Flynn Webb’s terrible encounter went viral on TikTok, and gained more than 18 million views in just a few days.
Avid fishermen from Thongba Bay, South Australia, Webb regularly shares his recently captured photos with friends and fans Facebook with Instagram.
However, it was the video of his recent encounter that made people talk about it on social media.
In the clip, you can view hereYou can see Webber and some friends approaching a leopard seal under the torch in the dead of night.
According to the instructions attached to the video, this more common animal in Antarctica was found washed up on the beaches of South Australia.
Weber found lifeless animals lying on the shore and tried to take a video of himself touching a seal that was rarely found.
However, what he finally got was the fear of his life.
For an instant, it started as a sufficiently ordinary video, but it turned into noisy screams and curses.
“I’ve been in official contact…oh, fuck my god!” Webber yelled, and the seal was born as soon as he touched it, and rushed back, biting him and his companion with his teeth.
Taking a few steps back quickly, he watched the seal growl briefly in his direction, and then went back to sleep.
A follow-up video from TikTok shows Weber and his friends looking at the animal from a safe distance.
“Did you help it?” asked a follower who posted under frick_frack_snack.
“Hope we can, but there is nothing you can do,” he replied, adding in another message that they called the relevant authorities but were told that “they can do nothing.”
Weekly newspaper Webb has been contacted for comments.
According to Emily Osterloff of the Natural History Museum, leopard seals are mainly distributed around Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands.
She pointed out that some people already know the coasts of New Zealand and Australia, but “these are the wanderers who arrived there by accident.”
Named for its black spotted coat, the average leopard seal’s diet varies according to the time of year.
In summer, fish and krill are the basis of most of their diet, and in winter, when the ice expands, they have the opportunity to hunt seals and penguins in the shallower waters of Antarctica.
Although extremely rare, there are some recorded human deaths involving leopard seals. The most recent occurred in 2003, when researcher Kirsty Brown died after being dragged underwater by one of the seal mammals.
Ostrov said that although “humans are not typical prey of leopard seals,” when it waddles on the ice, their shape “may be very similar to penguins.”
Like many of its species, leopard seals are protected by law.
last month, A couple in Louisiana apologize After posting several videos on the Internet showing people touching the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.
According to state and federal laws, touching, harassing, hurting, or killing seals is illegal. Anyone found to have violated these rules will face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
At the same time, in Greece, A spear fisherman angered After killing an endangered Mediterranean monk seal.
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