Elephant seal appears on Itaipuaçu beach in Maricá

An elephant seal appeared on the beaches of Itaipuaçu, in Maricá, on Sunday, drawing attention from residents and tourists. The animal was spotted resting on the sand at two different locations: first near Praia do Recanto around 11:00 AM, and later near the Itaipuaçu Civil Defense base at approximately 12:50 PM.

The Maricá Civil Guard isolated the area to prevent contact with swimmers and ensure the animal's safety. After a brief period on the sand, the seal returned to the sea. Experts from the environmental consultancy Econservation noted the possibility that this could be the same individual recently sighted on beaches in Niterói and other parts of the Metropolitan Region.