Thanks to the internet, you can certainly learn something new every day. I've never seen anything like the hooded seal before… just wait until you see what it can do!
Male hooded seals have these strange, elastic facial features called "nasal balloons," which are pinkish-red nasal cavities they can blow up like bubblegum — and it's all done to attract females. The bigger and more bouncier the balloon, the better! According to the Mother Nature Network, the cavities can expand to roughly the shape of the seal's head. The male seals also blow up these bizarre balloons if and when they feel threatened, using it to try and scare off predators or other males. Courtesy of Nat Geo Wild, watch the nasal balloon in action, recorded for a segment of "World's Weirdest."
You'd think a hot pink balloon would be the least "manliest" thing, but in the world of hooded seals, that's exactly what it is.
The hooded seal is found in the central and western North Atlantic, from Svalbard in the east to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the west.
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