This 33-Year-Old Harbor Seal Loves Petting, Hugging and Swimming With His Rubber Duck
If your Instagram Explore page recently served you a harbor seal absolutely vibing with a rubber duck, congratulations — you’ve been blessed by the algorithm. Now here’s everything you didn’t get from the 60-second clip.
A video of a 33-year-old Atlantic harbor seal named Reggae cuddling, petting and swimming with a rubber duck toy has become one of the New England Aquarium’s top-performing social media posts ever.
The clip, posted on Instagram, racked up nearly 500,000 views and almost 100,000 engagements in less than one month. For a Boston aquarium’s social account, those are the kind of metrics that make brand managers weep with joy.
“Ohhh to be a harbor seal with his rubber duckie!” the video’s caption read. “Yes, this might be the cutest thing on your feed all month, but it’s also purposeful enrichment for Reggae!”
The comments section did what comments sections do best — users crowned the rubber ducks “emotional support duckies,” and honestly? Hard to argue.
Meet Reggae, the Chillest Guy in Boston
Reggae lives at the New England Aquarium in Boston, and if you’re picturing a high-energy, trick-performing sea mammal, think again. This is a seal who has made relaxation a lifestyle.
“We describe his personality as very mellow. He’s a very easygoing guy, he goes with the flow and he loves attention from people,” Rebekah Miller, the aquarium’s manager of the pinniped area, told the Associated Press.
While other seals at the aquarium might go for high-energy behaviors like porpoising or dancing, Reggae would rather not.
He’s more inclined to interact with objects — like, say, a certain rubber duck — and he enjoys engaging with guests by swimming toward the glass and retrieving objects near them.
“He’s a pretty chill guy,” Mollie Collins, one of the aquarium’s trainers told Boston.com. “He’s like, ‘Oh, you know, I’d rather go find a rubber duckie.’”
If that quote doesn’t end up on a T-shirt, the internet has failed us.
The Rubber Duck Isn’t Just a Prop — It’s Enrichment
Here’s where the story goes deeper than a cute clip. What looks like Reggae simply playing with a bath toy is actually part of structured enrichment and training — a core part of daily life for the aquarium’s seals.
The rubber duck is a frequently used enrichment object, and Reggae has developed a positive association with it that goes beyond what trainers see with other items.
“I think he does have a positive association with it, even more so than some of the other objects,” Patty Leonard, the aquarium’s associate curator of pinnipeds, told Boston.com.
Training at the aquarium is designed to stimulate mental activity, maintain physical health and encourage natural behaviors. Key skills being developed include memory, problem-solving and focus. Enrichment helps compensate for things animals would experience in the wild, with the focus on both mental and physical wellbeing.
Trainers use verbal cues like “Target” and “Hold it” along with positive reinforcement including fish, touch and scratches. The behaviors Reggae performs include finding and retrieving objects, nudging items with his nose, holding toys with his flippers and balancing objects on his body.
One exercise, called “Find It,” involves trainers placing objects in the exhibit while seals must locate matching items elsewhere. Seals are also given “choice and control” — they are not forced to participate.
So yes, every time Reggae grabs that rubber duck, he’s choosing chaos. Respect.
The Social Media Strategy Behind the Scroll-Stopper
Viral moments on institutional accounts don’t just happen. The goal of the Reggae video was to showcase both the animals and behind-the-scenes training work — and clearly, it delivered.
“I love videos like this where multiple people and departments collaborate to make something special, and I’m so ecstatic Reggae is getting so much love,” Marisa Bernal, the aquarium’s social media manager, told Boston.com.
That cross-department collaboration — social media, training staff, animal care — is what separates a generic animal clip from one that hits half a million views. The content felt authentic because it was authentic: a real seal, engaging in a real enrichment activity, with his real favorite toy. No script. No staging. Just Reggae being Reggae.
As for the seal himself? He appears unfazed by the viral attention, which is perhaps the most on-brand detail of the entire story.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
