A SCOT was left stunned after spotting a lone seal swimming in the River Clyde, seemingly having been swept in by Storm Babet.
Ross McCully was walking along the banks of the Clyde on Saturday when he spotted the aquatic mammal bobbing on the surface of the Glasgow river.
Believing the seal may have been looking for calmer waters due to intense flooding in northern Scotland, the 31-year-old took the chance to capture the creature on camera.
Incredible footage shows the seal’s head bobbing on the surface of the river, whilst its body is submerged underwater.
The seal can be seen looking to its left, seemingly unsure of where to go in the unchartered waters, before promptly disappearing under the water.
The video then cuts to the seal perched on top of the Clyde’s flood gates, whilst Ross from Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, films from above.
The camera zooms in on the seal ambling around as water rushes over the flood gates behind it, before the animal appears to look directly at Ross.
The seal then puts on a show, tumbling into the waters below before hauling its chubby body back up onto the gates.
The animal promptly changes its mind again, seemingly letting out a couple of high-pitched yelps before belly flopping back into the river.
Ross shared the incredible sighting to social media on Saturday, writing: “Seal in the Clyde”.
The post received over 43,600 likes, and more than 340 comments from fellow amazed Scots left wondering how the seal had gotten there.
One person wrote: “How’d it get there? That water isn’t from the ocean. Although, I don’t know where this place is, so it might be?”
Another said: “Imagine, you’re blissfully enjoying your life and a storm comes and whisks you away to Glasgow.”
A third commented: “Panicked for a second, thinking, ‘Why is no one helping that poor dog?’”
Another added: “Clyde’s full of salmon just now. Easy eating up there while the fish wait to migrate upstream for spawning.”
A fifth wrote: “Well, at least someone’s enjoying the flood.”
Speaking to Ross today, he said: “I saw it [on Saturday] at about 3:30pm and was surprised because I knew it was quite rare to see a seal so far up the river.
“I was definitely surprised. I thought it might have been seeking shelter from the storm. I was surprised I managed to get it on video.
“I thought with it being so far up the river, it was maybe [looking] for calmer waters to shelter from the storm, it looked quite happy.
“It is quite rare to see them that far up the river, but people have commented on the video saying they have seen a seal there before.”
Seals are a common sight in the UK, with 80% of them being spotted in the Scottish islands.
Tragically, however, seal numbers have begun to decline, with a 50% decrease in population on the east coast of Scotland due to unknown causes.
