Australian and New Zealand fur seals

Seals around Australia.

Follow public seal observations from Australia. Browse published records, explore the places and stories behind them, or share an encounter with the Seal Watch team.

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Total reports
88
Latest observation

Public reports · newest first

Public records archive

20 January—9 March

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3 of 88 reports

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Explore by area

All areas

State markers group published area labels. The South Australia detail groups reviewed coastal places. Markers are references, not seal positions.

6 of 7 reports grouped by state · 3 states

Area filters

New South Wales 1 report
Victoria 4 reports
Tasmania 1 report
Other reported areas

These broad or unmatched labels have no state marker. You can still filter their reports.

Map: Natural Earth.

Reports over time

All dates

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 32012
  2. 12020
  3. 32023
  4. 12024
  5. 12026

Months in 2023

  1. 2Jan
  2. 0Feb
  3. 1Mar
  4. 0Apr
  5. 0May
  6. 0Jun
  7. 0Jul
  8. 0Aug
  9. 0Sep
  10. 0Oct
  11. 0Nov
  12. 0Dec

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. Date: 2023
    Place: Rye pier and beach Victoria
    Reported: Unidentified Mornington Peninsula News / Conservation Regulator

    Observation: A large seal was in the water and then on the Rye pier during an incident in which two people entered the water; the source describes the seal as acting aggressively but does not identify the species.

  2. Date: 2023
    Reported: Unidentified The Guardian Australia / Victoria Conservation Regulator

    Observation: The same southern elephant seal from the Point Lonsdale incident appeared at Blairgowrie on the following day and rested at Camerons Bight Beach.

  3. Date: 2023
    Reported: Unidentified The Guardian Australia / Victoria Conservation Regulator

    Observation: A large southern elephant seal came ashore at Point Lonsdale, crossed roads and entered a service station, where responders guided it back toward the water. It was later seen at Blairgowrie.