Impressive Maine Harp Seal Covers Some Distance In Short Time

Do you know what I think is awesome?! Seals are pretty awesome.

When feeling up to the task, those little suckers can swim hundreds of miles.

Take, for instance, the little harp seal that the folks from the Marine Mammals of Maine organization found in distress along a Maine beach at the beginning of the month.

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The MMoM, as it's called, is a non-profit that rehabs marine mammals and sea turtles along Maine's coast. They also help with research and conservation efforts when it comes to these animals.

This poor little buddy had come in contact with some humans and some dogs and was stressed to the point of eating sand.

If you didn't know, sand's not the easiest to pass through the digestive tract of a seal, so it needed a little help, which it got.

According to the Marine Mammals Of Maine Facebook Page, once the animal was feeling better, it was tagged with a special satellite identifier and released back out into the ocean.

That's where the story gets really cool. That seal has covered some serious ground...or I guess in this case, you'd say serious ocean? She went from Phippsburg to the Continental Shelf.

"Since February 10th, she has been traveling along the shelf in 39 degree Fahrenheit water. Seals can spend extensive periods of time at sea, eating, traveling, and resting without hauling out on land-while this kind of movement within her habitat is not unusual, it's still impressive to see on a map! We are so thrilled that she is strong enough to swim these distances, and that her unfortunate interaction with people and dogs last month did not prevent her from returning to the wild where she belongs."

That one little seal has gone about 230 miles in the span of just a couple of weeks. I don't even think I've put that many miles on my car in the last month.

It's important to note that if you do come across a seal while visiting Maine's coast, as cute as you may think it looks, those in the know recommend staying at least 150 feet away from them and keeping your pets away from them when at all possible.

If they are injured, and you do try to approach them, they may retreat back into the water before getting the help they need, they may become distressed or they may even transfer any disease they are carrying to your pets.

Instead, if you do come in contact with a marine mammal in Maine, report it to an organization like the folks at Marine Mammals of Maine by calling 1-800-532-9551, so they can do what they're trained to do, and help rehab and return the animal back to where it belongs, so it can live it's best life!