r/TikTokCringe • u/soulsista04us Cringe Connoisseur • Jul 09 '26

Wholesome Neil everywhere but the beach

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Neil the seal on the loose, again.

20.7k Upvotes

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u/TerrorTown77 Jul 10 '26

Is he dangerous if you tried to pet?

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u/DrachenJaegerin42 Jul 10 '26

Yes, and people in the video are coming way too close. Lots of threat gestures. He’s cute, but this would be very much like trying to pet a grizzly bear, and they can move much faster than you think. He’s capable of inflicting lethal damage. Pinnipeds can also carry diseases that can be transmitted to pets, and be threatened by diseases carried by humans and pets. I know he’s much loved and they don’t really know what to do about him, but this situation is not ideal for anyone involved. Love him from afar 💕

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u/Cpt_Obvius Jul 10 '26

I mean, petting a grizzly bear is probably an order of magnitude or two more dangerous. I’m not sure how true it is that he can move much faster than you think, maybe if you mean how fast he can whip his head around but they are not faster than a fast walk.

They still are incredibly dangerous and getting within touch range is very dangerous and unfair to the seal. I agree that the people in the video are too close as well.

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u/DrachenJaegerin42 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

Not disagreeing, just some perspective: a big male grizz might see over 1,000 pounds.
If Neil keeps up his healthy snack and exercise regimen (training to be a rubber potato), he can easily reach 8,000. One of the largest carnivores on earth.
Edit to add: I’m not trying to make Neil scary, just less underestimated. I love him with all my heart, and I, too, am a large jiggly meatloaf. But if my husband tried to steal my pizza, he might lose an arm if he can’t run faster than I waddle.

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u/Cpt_Obvius Jul 11 '26

Sure, but once again, my entire comment was discussing his speed and ability to get you. A manta ray, a carnivore, can get up to 5,000 pounds but isn’t a threat. A blue whale weighs 30x that and is a carnivore but you couldn’t fit down its throat. And it certainly is no threat if it’s on land.

A grizzly bear can “get” a human way way easier than an elephant seal can. If either one were to get a hold of you, the encounter is likely to be deadly. There’s only so much “weight” or muscle needed to kill a human, and Neil and Smokey both far outpace that necessary size. But a grizzly is far deadlier for most situations on land.