Above image-reconstuction of the stellers sea ape While it is possible small populations of leopard seal live along the northeast coast, it is more likely that the reported animals, if indeed leopard seals, were only vagrants that wandered far from their home range, as marine mammals often do. Most have blamed misidentification on more animals. Steller’s sea lion, or the related northern fur seal, since the females are dramatically smaller than the males, is a plausible candidate. Steller recognized the sea lion as being a separate animal, and since he no doubt saw male and female sea lions lying within inches of each other on the beach (he only mention the ape as being seen in the water) it is doubtful he was confused by sexual dimorphism.
Phantom Felids
Here you will find the description of some of the more obvious cryptid seals and sea lions.
Northern Leopard Seal
Seals very much matching the description of the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, a 12 foot gray seal with black spots and a flat reptilian head. This animal, which feed mainly on penguins and other species of seal, is rarely found far from its home continent of Antarctica. However, fishermen of the coast of British Columbia claim to see seals matching this ones description on a regular basis. On a less significant note, the leopard seal has been found to fit the description of the tizheruk or pal rai yuk, from Inuit mythology.
The Steller's Sea Ape
Named after the German Naturalist who described, among other things, the first reports of this animal. He called it apelike due to it's playful nature. His description mentioned a length of five feet, a wolf like head with pointed erect ears, whiskers hanging from the flews, round thick hairy body tapering toward a shark-like tail, colored gray with reddish-white belly, and with no front flippers and a asymmetrical tail.
Other Possible Seals
From the
Hebrides islands comes a few tradional reports of "Dwarf seals".A cryptid with the exact same name was reported from Willerstedt Lake, from the Artic islands of Canada. A very unspecified report from lake Titicaca, Peru, describes some variety of aquatic mammal, either sirenia or pinniped, as about 12 feet long. The Washington White Seal near Puget Sound and Birch Bay, Washington State, of North America, is an often sighted pure white seal. Most likely albino or some other color morph or variant of common recognized species of seal, or more unlikely, a complelty white subspecies, or new species entirely.
Cryptic Canids
Unknown Ursids
Mystfying Mustelids
Mysterious Marsupials
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