Fur seals arrive at New England Aquarium

The New England Aquarium has some new furry friends tonight. Several fur seals will be part of the aquarium’s new “Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center”.

The first three residents have arrived: JD, Cordova and Ursula.

A fur seal’s greatest asset is in fact its fur. It is where it gets its name, and it is the second thickest on the planet second only to a sea otter. It is great for keeping them cold in icy waters but it was also terrible because it caused them to be hunted to near extinction in the 1800s and in fact around 1890 scientists thought there were extinct.