A baby spotted, or largha, seal of the type that mainly inhabits the Sea of Okhotsk has been showing up recently along the coast of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, causing local residents to nickname the animal "Oda-chan."
The seal was first seen Aug. 11, relaxing on a sandy beach near the mouth of the Sakawa River in Odawara, according to the Enoshima Aquarium in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The seal is about 90 cm long and believed be about 6 months old. It is very likely the same seal that has been seen in neighboring Ninomiya and Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, since July, aquarium officials said.
Hisao Toda, who cares for seals at the aquarium, said, "seals need time to rest onshore," so people shouldn't disturb them.
