History Main / MonstrousSeal

* The Southern Elephant Seal fits the trope: a massive creature with a Darwinist social ethos, one where the largest and most dominant males (sometimes referred to as "Beachmasters") ruthlessly enforce their dominance over the majority of lesser males and gather the females together as exclusive harems, fighting and defeating other males who try to challenge them for their titles. The majority of males remain un-mated and single, which encourages the species to migrate out to find new territories to hold. Fights between beachmasters and the contenders to their crown are kind of evocative of some nightclubs at two in the morning. Fittingly, beachmasters can grow up to 4 tons, meaning they're LargeAndInCharge! Despite this, quite a few camera-happy tourists, unfamiliar with the seals' habits and fooled by their cumbersome appearance on land, often find themselves promptly disbused of that notion when they get too close for a photo.

* The Southern Elephant Seal fits the trope: a massive creature with a Darwinist social ethos, one where the largest and most dominant males (sometimes referred to as "Beachmasters") ruthlessly enforce their dominance over the majority of lesser males and gather the females together as exclusive harems, fighting and defeating other males who try to challenge them for their titles. The majority of males remain un-mated and single, which encourages the species to migrate out to find new territories to hold. Fights between beachmasters and the contenders to their crown are kind of evocative of some nightclubs at two in the morning. Fittingly, beachmasters can grow up to 4 tons, meaning they're LargeAndInCharge! Despite this, quite a few camera-happy tourists, unfamiliar with the seals' habits and fooled by their cumbersome appearance on land, often find themselves promptly disavowed of that notion when they get too close for a photo.

* ''Art/BeasFables'': Tizheruks are a form of pinniped morph -- the one shown is a leopard seal -- that combines the basic seal or sea lion with elements of eels, snakes, and extinct marine reptiles. It's mostly used when hunting to overpower or outrun prey, although walruses and elephant seals also use for inter-specific competition.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pingu}}'': The seal/sea lion/walrus... thing was so unnerving that the episode it appears in, ''Pingu Dreams'', is banned in a number of countries.

* ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' portrays seals as demonic entities spawned in the Infernal Abyss, and Seal Clubbers, unlike the way [[EvilPoacher they're often portrayed in media]], are {{Barbarian Hero}}es that protect ordinary people from their wrath.

* ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' portrays seals as demonic entities spawned in the Infernal Abyss, and Seal Clubbers, unlike in Real Life, are {{Barbarian Hero}}es that protect ordinary people from their wrath.

* On the other hand, sea lions, which are often seen as (and usually are) playful and puppy-like, have been known to attack and maul humans, especially people who have gotten too close to their pups and/or territory. This usually is a result of one or more persons trying to pet or take a picture with them, although unprovoked attacks have happened as well.

* The Southern Elephant (Beachmaster) Seal fits the trope: a massive creature with a Darwinist social ethos, one where the largest and most dominant males ("Beachmasters") ruthlessly enforce their dominance over the majority of lesser males and gather the females together as exclusive harems, fighting and defeating other males who try to challenge. The majority of males remain un-mated and single. It's kind of evocative of some nightclubs at two in the morning. Fittingly, beachmasters can grow up to 4 tons, meaning they're LargeAndInCharge! Despite this, quite a few camera-happy tourists, unfamiliar with the seals' habits and fooled by their cumbersome appearance on land, often find themselves promptly disavowed of that notion when they get too close for a photo.

* The Southern Elephant (Beachmaster) Seal fits the trope: a massive creature with a Darwinian social ethos, one where the largest and most dominant males ("Beachmasters") ruthlessly enforce their dominance over the majority of lesser males and gather the females together as exclusive harems, fighting and defeating other males who try to challenge. The majority of males remain un-mated and single. It's kind of evocative of some nightclubs at two in the morning. Fittingly, beachmasters can grow up to 4 tons, meaning they're LargeAndInCharge! Despite this, quite a few camera-happy tourists, unfamiliar with the seals' habits and fooled by their cumbersome appearance on land, often find themselves promptly disavowed of that notion when they get too close for a photo.

** The setting's take on {{selkies|AndWereseals}}, in their [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm natural]] [[VoluntaryShapeshifting form]], look like vaguely humanoid leopard seals, complete with a vicious array of teeth. And while ''some'' are friendly enough when they're not [[ConsummateLiar snowing you]], some would as soon eat a {{player character}} as look at one.

Despite having a reputation for [[SweetSeal cuteness]], seals are also well-known for being predators, which [[PredatorsAreMean aren't exactly the most beloved animals]]. Some, like the leopard seal, eat ''penguins'', which is a bit of a problem, considering that [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins people love penguins]]. And so, when they're not {{Ridiculously Cute Critter}}s, fictional seals are often portrayed as either mindless brutes or malevolent monsters.

* ''Literature/TheJungleBook'': Subverted in ''The White Seal'' by Kotick, an affable albino fur seal who lives in the Aleutian Islands and makes it his quest in life to find a home where his fellow seals won't be victims of the fur trade. He comes to tell the other seals he found such a place... and when they refuse to listen to him, ''beats the shit out of everyone'' until they agree to follow him.
** Probably helps that he's the son of Seacatch, his herd's beachmaster, and as such, AsskickingEqualsAuthority runs in the family.
** There's Seacatch himself, who in addition to having to scare off challengers to his position, sends a few growls his son's way as well.

* The animated short film of Kipling's ''The White Seal'' has the aformentioned AsskickingEqualsAuthority moment. In addition, there's also Kotick's response to witnessing his fellow seals falling victim to human seal hunters where, out of fear and desperation, he yells for them to stop. The hunters, having apparently never seen a white fur seal before and thinking it's the ghost of all the seals they've slaughtered thus far coming back for revenge, promptly drop what they're doing and flee in terror, with an emboldened Kotick chasing them all the way to their boats.