The Chaotic Antics of Neil the Seal Could Totally Happen in New England

Ever heard of Neil the Seal?

Allow us to enlighten you, cause this guy has been taking over not only the Internet, but several small towns off the coast of Tasmania.

This is Neil. He is a 1,300-pound southern elephant seal born on the Tasman Peninsula in October of 2020, according to the Marine Conservation Program in Australia.

Nowadays, he spends his time visiting various places along the island state's southeastern coastline, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Thanks to his strange and amusing antics, Neil has become a celebrity both in these communities and around the world. He is known for picking fights with stationary objects...

...napping on people's lawns (and talking back)...

...and blocking roads. One time, he even lounged behind someone's car and prevented them from going to work. We'd like to think that their employer was understanding, given the peculiar circumstances.

At the time of this writing, the TikTok page for Neil the Seal has accumulated over 730,000 followers and 12.2M likes. Since these seals can live to be 20+ years old, something tells us that Neil's reign won't be ending anytime soon.

Could you imagine something like this happening in New England? We obviously wouldn't see southern elephant seals in these parts since they live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters, according to National Geographic. But as hauling-out is a completely normal behavior, we're sure that sometime, somewhere, residents of a New England coastal town have encountered a seal almost as stubborn as Neil.

By the way, if you do encounter a seal, do not approach or touch it. Leave it be, or contact your local stranding network if you believe something is wrong.