Seosan Taean Environmental Education Center Recently Confirms 4 Spotted Seals
Spotted seals, a natural monument, have been spotted in Garorim Bay in Seosan and Taean, Chungnam.
According to Chungnam Province on the 24th, the Seosan-Taean Environmental Education Center recently confirmed four spotted seals in Garorim Bay.
The spotted seal is a mammal belonging to the family Phocidae in the order Carnivora. It is designated as Natural Monument No. 331, an endangered wild species level II, and a marine protected species.
The migratory spotted seals stay in Garorim Bay and Baengnyeongdo from March to November, then migrate to China in winter to breed before returning.
Garorim Bay is the only place in Korea where spotted seals can be observed on land with the naked eye. It has a shallow depth and well-formed sandbars, providing an ideal habitat for spotted seals.
Jang Jin-won, director of the Marine Fisheries Bureau of the province, said, "The spotted seal symbolically represents the diversity and health of the marine ecosystem in Garorim Bay," adding, "We will promptly promote the Garorim Bay National Marine Ecological Park project to systematically protect the spotted seals."
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