Page 77 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Seal harbor

(Phoca vitulina stejnegeri)

Body length is 1.6–2 m, weight — up to 160 kg. The physique is slender
with a relatively large, rounded head. Body coloration strongly varies from
almost monotonous dark with rare light spots or blurred ovals to light straw
with numerous or rare dark spots. The most typical dark background with light
ovals or rings of different sizes: the underside of the body is lighter than the top.
Seals feed on fish, cephalopods (small octopuses, cuttlefish) and crustaceans
(krill, crustaceans).
On the Kuril Islands it is distributed almost everywhere, the largest number
of individuals was noted near the islands of Paramushir, Makanrushi, Onekotan,
Harimkotan, Shiashkotan and on the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge.
The distribution pattern of the subspecies in the Kuril Islands has remained
unchanged over the past decades.

Once Zvezdchatka was similar to other flounders. And she didn’t like it. And she
swam off to look for someone to consult with, how to be different from the rest of the
flounders.

Met with Navaga:
— Navaga, you came to our bay from distant waters. You are not even afraid of the
seventh wave. And you’ve seen a lot. Tell me how to do it so as not to be like the rest
of the flounders?
Well-worn Navaga was surprised at the question, shook her head, wagged her thin
tail and went into the depths.
And Zvezdchatka turned to both Smelt and Taimen. But no one could help her.
— I will help your grief! — said the Seal. — Just mind you and you will help me.

— Of course! Of course! — Flounder was delighted, swam up to the seal, stroked
its whiskers with fins.
At that time, the Seal was all black, and it could be seen far away in the ice. And
the Seal, it is known, has many enemies.
The seal began to smear the flounder with secret clay. He did his job for a long
time and diligently. The seal carried a fan of the northern lights onto the tail of the

flounder, painted its fins in the color of a quiet sunset over the August bay.
The flounder admires itself. It will turn now on one side, then on the other, it will
float under the wave, then at the very bottom. The seal waited, waited, somehow
waited for Flounder to calm down.

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