Steller Likely Mistook Arctic Seal

On August 10, 1741, German zoologist Georg Steller reported a mysterious creature near Alaska's Shumagin Islands in the Arctic while sailing aboard the St. Peter on Danish explorer Vitus Bering's Great Northern Expedition. He watched the so-called sea ape for two hours, describing a furry, limbless animal with a dog-like head and shark-like tail that played with seaweed near the ship. Although one theory interprets the account as Steller subtly mocking Bering, the surviving record provides no evidence that he invented the creature. Zoologists generally conclude that Steller probably misidentified a northern fur seal, which he had never encountered before.

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