The bearded seal has been seen intermittently over the last week or so, mostly near the salmon farm in Basta Voe, on the island of Yell.
Although normally only found in the Arctic, there have been a few sightings in the UK, mostly on Shetland, and including sightings in both 2010 and 2011.
Bearded seals can reach nearly 9 feet in length and weigh as much as440 kg. They feed on Molluscs and anything else they can find on the bottom of the sea that they sift through using their whiskers.
Our thanks to Nature Shetland for their help with this information.
BEARDED SEAL ON SHETLAND - PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE PETRIE
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