A grey seal was spotted poking its head out of the River Tyne beside Ryton Willows Nature Reserve, Gateshead, before ducking back below the water and presumably swimming away.
And while some people may be scratching their heads at what a seal was doing so far inland, Richard Ilderton, volunteer team manager at Tynemouth Seal Hospital, which is based in Tynemouth Aquarium, says that it's much more common than people expect. He said: "Seals are normally and quite stereotypically viewed as living at the coast, but we get calls about seals as far up as Ryton and Newburn.
"I've had them up the Wear at Chester-le-Street, sometimes they just get in river and live their best lives. It's a good indication of how clean the Tyne has become."
