KUALA LUMPUR: An elephant seal went viral recently after he was seen 'goofing' around and strutting down the streets of Tasmania, Australia.
The 600kg seal named Niel has captured netizens' attention as videos of his adventures and interactions with the local community have been published on a dedicated TikTok account, @nieltheseal.
In one of his videos, the seal can be seen casually resting in front of a local resident's doorstep and even responding to the person who was recording.
"Niel, someone lives here, mate," the man can be heard saying.
In another video, Niel can be seen interacting with a marine conservation officer, who is trying to bring him back to the waters and off the road.
"Marine Conservation (is) trying to put Niel back into the water but he wasn't taking a part and budging.
"They should know that Niel runs this town now!" the caption wrote.
Niel can also be seen wrestling multiple parking poles, traffic cones and road signs as he makes his way around the suburbs.
According to the Tasmania Natural Resources and Environment Department, Niel's actions are called 'haul-outs', where elephant seals come ashore to rest and moult after spending extended periods foraging at open sea.
These animals may remain ashore for periods of up to four to five weeks and should not be disturbed during that time.
The account has since accrued almost half a million followers with many delighted in seeing the large marine animal's unique behaviour.
"I love Niel. Genuine question: are elephant seals aggressive or just like giant puppies?" user @torrieseibert commented.
"Niel is like the Mayor of that town; he just does whatever he wants," @valerie said.