Rare black seal pup spotted on Wadden Sea sand bank

A pitch black seal pup was spotted on Wadden Sea sand bank Blauwe Balg between Terschelling and Ameland by a crew of environmental organization Naar Een Rijken Waddenzee, the organization announced. The seal pup has Melanism, the opposite of albinoism. Melanin is a pigment that turns an animal's skin and fur black. Animals with melanism are very rare. Crew member Bert Meerstra was very happy that he had his camera with him. "In the 22 years that I have worked on the Wad almost daily, I have never encountered a black seal. I was very happy when I spotted him. It's really special", he said.