"Lost Cheburashka": A seal of an unknown species was found on Sakhalin. 

On Sakhalin, in the area of ​​Lake Tunaycha, local residents found A lost seal. For Green Sakhalin Foundation specialists, this is a common situation: herring overwinter in the lake, the seals hunt, and then crawl out onto the ice to rest through the polynyas. But access to the water can "collapse," and the animals can no longer find their way back to the water. 

The "stray" seal had been wandering along the shore for several days: the rescue operation had to be postponed due to bad weather. Its tracks revealed that during this time, it had wandered through the nearby forest and visited someone else's dacha. It was found after several hours of searching, 20 kilometers from open water. 

The seal was lured onto more stable ice and caught in a carrier, despite its protests. Upon initial examination, it was found that it had not lost much weight after several days without food or water. 

However, neither local experts nor scientists from Vladivostok and Moscow were able to determine what species it was.

"In terms of coloring, he clearly resembles a young lionfish, but lionfish don't have spots in their patterns like this seal. The shape of his skull is completely unlike anything else—a spotted seal's is longer, while a lionfish's is shorter. So far, we've identified him as a 'Cheburashka'—it's unclear which is which," the foundation noted. 

The origin of the "lost Cheburashka" will now be determined by geneticists. 

Photos and videos: "Green Sakhalin"