Two views of the tops of trees in different seasons

Wildlife, Fish and Marine Life Newsletter

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 11/19/2018 09:20 AM EST

DEC Delivers - Information to keep you connected and informed from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

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Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life Newsletter

Winter Wildlife: Seals in the City

You can find seals around New York City any time from November through May. You could get a glimpse of harbor and grey seals basking on sand bars, rocks and remote beaches off the shores and along Long Island. What to look for? Harbor seals have rounded bodies and spotted silver-gray, black, or dark brown coats. Males average 5-5½ feet long and weigh 200-250 pounds, while females are slightly smaller. Harbor seals have fan-shaped flippers, and their average dive lasts three minutes, but they can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes!

Some of the best places to watch them are:

Cupsogue Beach County Park, Suffolk County, Long Island
Shinnecock East County Park, Suffolk County, Long Island
Jones Beach State Park, Nassau County, Long Island
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens County
Montauk Point State Park, Suffolk County, Long Island

Check out the October 2018 Conservationist to learn about another marine mammal that inhabits the waters of NYC and Long Island: whales!

Photo: Grey Seal by Al Mapes

Environmental Conservation Officers Confiscate Illegally Kept Snapping Turtle

snapping turtle in tank On October 20, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Jeannette Bastedo and Jason Smith responded to a complaint from the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) regarding a couple in the town of Saugerties in possession of a snapping turtle. The Ulster County SPCA was alerted due to several domestic and exotic animals found at the residence. ECOs Bastedo and Smith responded to the residence and confirmed that the species was, indeed, a large snapping turtle. According to the resident, she bought the turtle and did not know it was illegal to possess it without a permit. The turtle was seized and safely transferred to a wildlife rehabilitator. DEC officers charged the woman with illegally possessing the turtle.

Turtles, snakes, lizards, or salamanders native to New York may NOT be harvested, taken or possessed without a permit.

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Connect with DEC:
Basil Seggos, Commissioner