What’s the Deal with the Charles River Seal?

The aquatic visitor seems to love that dirty water.

It looks like the Charles River is the new hotspot for seals this spring.

A furry, aquatic vistor has been spotted in Boston several times over the past two weeks. Most recently, it was seen by a user on Twitter near the Community Boating, Inc. dock.

Community boating also tweeted out their own pic of the river’s new resident:

Prior to the Tuesday morning sighting, the critter was seen swimming by the Charles River Dam’s locks located below the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. According to the Boston Globe, New England Aquarium spokesperson Tony LaCasse said that the animal appears to be an adult harbor seal which probably found its way into the river while feeding on a school of fish.

Officials believe that this is the same seal which was spotted by workers at the Museum of Science last week.

LaCasse told the Globe that the seafaring guest has likely made a few trips to the river by slipping through the dam’s lock system in order to feed on carp, bass, and perch, which are apparently easier to find in the Charles than in the ocean.

While it’s entirely possible that the same seal just happens to keep finding its way back into the river, we have another theory.

Since this cute creature has been spotted up and down the Charles, from the Boston University Bridge to docks by MIT, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a gang of seals who’ve decided to make Boston their new home because for some insane reason they actually like to swim in that dirty water.

Or maybe these seals are a fan of the Red Sox since the club has an affiliate team in Portland, Maine, called the Sea Dogs.

Either way, the river’s new residents have our seal of approval.