Mysterious purple seal has beach enclave going wild — experts reveal what happened

Beachgoers at California’s Año Nuevo State Park were doing double takes after they spotted what looked like a giant elephant seal that had been dunked in purple paint during the annual molting season on the shoreline.

The bizarre-looking marine mammal, which hauled itself onto the beach at the San Mateo County park, left tourists and even state park officials scratching their heads as they searched for an explanation behind its unusual grape-colored coat.

Officials floated everything from a diet of purple sea urchins to the possibility of internal bleeding before getting to the bottom of the mystery.

“Ever seen an elephant seal that looks like it took a bath in grape juice?” the park posted on Instagram, which received plenty of lighthearted comments from people. One user commented, “Valkyries Seal!” while another one said, “He’s chilling after eating a lot of grapes.”

Officials at Año Nuevo State Park soon learned there was nothing unusual — or alarming — going on.

Experts determined the hulking seal had simply been lounging on a patch of red algae, which temporarily stained its fur and gave the marine mammal “its striking appearance, just in time for Summer!”

The park said algae that washes ashore can briefly dye elephant seals’ coats, creating eye-catching colors that fade over time.

The colorful visitor arrived during the park’s annual molting season, when roughly 10,000 pinnipeds flock to Año Nuevo’s beaches between April and August to shed their outer layer of skin and grow a fresh coat.

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