How long do Elephant seals live? Age, size and all about Neil the Seal, the viral Tasmania internet sensation

Neil the Seal is the real deal. Neil, the Southern elephant seal hailing from the Australian state of Tasmania, became a viral internet sensation. The many goofy and adorable antics of the 600kg pinniped propelled him into having an official Instagram account with over 64,000 fans of his work.

Neil was born in 2020 and is now three years old. As far as his age goes, Neil is only a juvenile but has already started causing adorable mishaps in a small Tasmanian town. Southern elephant seals have a maximum lifespan of 22-23 years. However, Neil's fame also has a downside, as the seal was once evicted from a beach due to attracting too much attention.

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Neil the Seal and his exploding popularity

As mentioned above, internet celebrity Neil the Seal is only three years old. Neil, born in the area around the Tasmanian peninsula in October 2020, started visiting Dunalley, a Tasmanian on the state's southeast coast, back in April and has wreaked adorable havoc around the town since.

His official Instagram account, with over 64K followers, shows Neil flaunting his belly while sunbathing on town roads, yawning and hugging traffic cones, and just lying down in backyards being lazy. Neil's antics went viral and propelled Neil into becoming somewhat of a local celebrity.

One month ago, a video went viral of Tasmanian resident Amber Harris, who could not get to work and took a day off because Neil the Seal was blocking her car from leaving the driveway. Amber said,

"I thought that somebody was trying to break into my car and so I looked out the window, and next minute I've got this big seal looking up at me at my bedroom window and I was like Oh Hello!"

Neil the Seal is 600kg or 1300 pounds heavy and only growing. According to National Geographic, Southern elephant seals can weigh up to 8,800 pounds and measure up to 20 feet in length. Southern elephant seals are the largest seals in the world and live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters.

Seals like Neil haul on land for around four or five weeks after hunting season. According to The New York Times, Neil was reportedly born near a beach near the city and not in any seal colony. According to ecologist Dr. Clive R. McMahon, the seal probably thinks of the area as its home, and since seals occasionally visit the place they were born in, Neil does the same.

However, Neil's towering fame also comes with a bunch of risks. He was recently evicted from a Hobart beach due to washing up ashore and attracting the interest of a large amount of onlookers.

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania professor Mary-Anne Lea told The Guardian that people should remember that Neil was a "wild animal." She stated,

"It’s OK when animals are cute and interacting in generally safe ways, but then they become bigger and other natural behaviours kick in - along with their hormones - and you can start to have interactions that you are less fond of."

However, she conceded,

"They’re very beautiful to look at. They’re quite comical too – playing with road markers … making funny belching and farting sounds."

The owner of Neil the Seal's official Instagram account, a Tasmanian citizen, has warned tourists and onlookers to keep at least 10 or 20 feet away while observing Neil. The account was reportedly created for local Tasmanian kids and residents to learn Neil's behavior. On 19 December, the account took advice from marine biologists and stopped posting the exact location of Neil the Seal.

The Marine Conservation Program released a statement in April of this year, advising people that it was "important the seal is left alone." The organization stated that Neil should not become accustomed to humans in concern of his "health and survival" and also continue to maintain wild behavior for a long time.