Talking Seals...

Image by mikebaird via Flickr

I am not certain what brought this to mind today, but I figured this would be a pleasant, odd interlude to the day.

Today, I plan to talk briefly about Talking Seals. Well, one talking seal. And I don't mean the "never-gonna-survive-unless-we-get-a-little-crazy" Seal either. I mean, an ocean-going mammal with flippers and whiskers, shouting commands at zookeepers in aquarium.

Hoover the Seal is probably one of the more unique anomalies of the animal kingdom. Found as a pup, it grew too large for the fisherman who found him and was donated to the New England Aquarium. But somehow it developed the skills of speech. We have all heard of Alex the talking parrot, and Koko is known for "language skills."

This special talking seal died years ago, but if you follow the link you can hear recordings of the animal. It's kind of like watching the Little Mermaid, but a little bit creepier.