Spotted seals returned to Liaohe estuary in January ahead of schedule.

The naive and quaint spotted seal is a natural comedian.

At the end of October, researchers of marine animal protection in Liaodong Bay, Bohai Sea, Liaoning Province successively monitored the activities of 19 national first-class protected wild animals-western Pacific spotted seals (also known as spotted seals) in the waters near Sandaogou, Liaohe Estuary. According to their body shapes, the researchers determined that they were migratory western Pacific spotted seals this year. These lovely elves returned to their "home" in Liaodong Bay a whole month earlier than in previous years.

Liaohe lipstick beach wetland where spotted seals live.

Are there any wild seals in China? In the impression of most people, seals are sea animals that only live in foreign seas and polar seas. If we want to witness their original ecological life with our own eyes, we have to go to the ocean, which is not easy for us to achieve. But in fact, in northern China, Liaodong Bay of Bohai Sea in Liaoning Province, there is a kind of seal that allows people to observe its original ecological life at close range, which is the western Pacific spotted seal.

Wuqi time

Birth of a cub

The western Pacific spotted seal is the only marine mammal of Pinpoda that breeds in China’s waters, and it belongs to the national first-class protected animals. Spotted seals mainly feed on marine animals such as fish, crustaceans and cephalopods, and mostly feed on barracuda in autumn and winter, while the Liaohe Estuary is rich in barracuda. The sea area from Sandaogou to Xiaodaozi in Liaohekou, Liaoning Province is the southernmost breeding habitat of spotted seals on the earth, and hundreds of spotted seals live here for food every year. They usually migrate from South Korea’s Bailing Island to Liaodong Bay at the end of November each year, give birth in the frozen area of Liaodong Bay in January the following year, enter the Liaohe estuary with the tide in February-March, enter the Liaohekou shoal in March-April the following year and gradually fatten up, and gradually drift away from the Bohai Sea in May.

Overlooking the reef

Spotted seals are naive and quaint. In the water, they are agile and elegant, and they are highly skilled ballerinas. On land, they are cute and clumsy, and they are lovable comedians. Every winter and spring, the appearance and stay of spotted seals add vitality and fun to the beautiful Liaodong Bay. Fishermen and tourists from passing ships all look around the seal reef and look forward to seeing the seal, which is known as the "beast of the Bohai Sea". (Wei Xinhe Li Bo)

Gorgeous sunset glow in Liaohekou wetland

Spotted seal is the only marine mammal of Pinpoda that breeds in China’s sea area, and it belongs to the national first-class protected animal. They usually migrate from Bailing Island in South Korea to Liaodong Bay in Bohai Sea in Liaoning Province in China at the end of November every year, and "go home" a whole month earlier this year.

"It feels good to be home."

"Good hi yo"

You and me

"What are you looking at?"

Pose on the reef

sing with outstretched neck