One of our favorite meteorologists was a fellow named Bill Eisenhood about 25-30 years ago. We never will forget him. He didn’t just give weather forecasts, he explained how he made his decision. And when his forecast was wrong, he explained why the next day. One day when the forecast was really off, he said, “One thing about the weather, it sure is unpredictable.” We loved that phrase and him.
I thought of him when I read this article by a nature photographer who was assigned by the National Geographic to take pictures of a leopard seal. The photographer almost said no because of the danger…leopard seals are huge and highly aggressive, but the photographer summoned up his courage and did it.
He was gobsmacked by how it turned out. The first thing the seal did was to take the photographer’s head and camera in its mouth, then when it let go it opened its mouth wide in a threat display. OK, that was scary, but not a big surprise. Then the seal caught a penguin and dropped it in front of the photographer, as if it were a gift. The photographer, of course, didn’t capture the penguin but let it swim away. The seal seemed surprised and tried a few more times. The human was a complete bust at catching penguins. So the seal tried bringing weak penguin, then a dead one, then a half-eaten one to give the photographer a chance to feed. No, the dumb photographer didn’t get it. So the seal tried putting penguins in the camera, thinking that was the photographer’s mouth. Apparently it was trying to nurture the “helpless” photographer by feeding it. The seal seemed to be worried.
This went on for four days, and it was understandably one of the highlights of the photographer’s life.
One thing about life, it sure can be unpredictable.
December 4, 2020
How amazing! I cannot type this evening so will leave it at this.
Thanks for commenting at all. 🙂
Gorgeous creature! All the same, methinks Nicklen has ice in his veins.
That must have been scary at first. I kept thinking about how cold it would be.
This is an amazing and magical story! I love it! I am telling Phil, and mailing it to a friend.
It’s heartwarming. 🙂
He stays in the water, for 4 days????? No, he must have gone back to a shelter, and come out again, the next day.
Hope he got paid well….!
That meteorologist was certainly a prize! Explaining how the weather turned out… Actually, “why” it turned out, as it did.
I assume the photographer was on a boat when he wasn’t in the water. And clearly he wasn’t alone, someone took the picture of him with the seal. That picture of the seal looking at the camera makes me smile every time I see it.
Wow, how interesting! Scary but the experience sure is a good example of empathy between species.
It blows my mind, in a good way. 🙂
awesome and so unreal that this could happen…those teeth are enough to have me running for dry land, for sure…
It took a lot of courage for the photographer to do that.
Amazingly heartwarming!
Yes, and that picture of the seal looking at the camera with one eye makes me smile every time I look at it. 🙂
what an amazing experience that must have been for the photographer and one heck of a story to tell
Yes. 🙂
truly and amazing story, he was very brave much more than I am, but he survived and the seal is so cute… i wonder what was going through that seals brain… love the story, thanks for sharing
I’m glad you liked it too.
In Scottish lore the saying is that seals are old souls.
this story would almost make one believe that!
the seal was trying to help the poor hapless human.
something very beautiful about it.
and they’re wonderful pictures! the last one especially…
as if he’s smiling… knowing his picture is being taken!
but who is taking the picture of the seal and the photographer? !!! 🙂
glad to know he probably had a team and wasn’t there alone!
I assume they were on a boat and that’s where the photographer spent the time he wasn’t in the water, but he doesn’t say.