Fur seals are fabulous swimmers, and they're pretty athletic all around, but what happens when they compete against humans on dry land? Some Aquarium staff members and friends took the fur seals on in a series of athletic challenges, most of which included some swimming—at which the fur seals excel. But in the event where everyone had to balance on the deck on one hand (flipper) with feet together, bodies forming a sideways T, the humans had the advantage. The last man (or woman or seal) standing would win for his or her team. See what happened in the video below.



Want to see some more great competitions? Check out the collecting race, triathalon, speed swimming and the obstacle course.

Would you challenge a Northern fur seal to a race? If you've been reading the Fitness Friday posts, you know that a team of Aquarium staffers and friends did. This team is training for the Tough Mudder competition, and they challenged the Northern fur seals to various races and tests of coordination and endurance.

In last week's post, a staffer went up against Cordova the fur seal in a triathlon of crawling, swimming and climbing.

In the video below, you can watch another team member compete against Ursula the fur seal in an obstacle course race that includes water, hoops and limbo poles.



The Tough Mudder team posts updates about their training and you can donate to help them raise money for the Aquarium here.

What happens when a group of Aquarium staff members challenges the fur seals to various races and tests of endurance? You get a Fitness Friday rumble! The Aquarium staff members and friends are in training for a competition called Tough Mudder, which is a test of strength, determination, endurance and teamwork. They're blogging about training for the race and also raising funds for the Aquarium here. And they were feeling so good about their toughness that they decided to go up against the fur seals to tests themselves.

So what happened when Chris, an aquarist who works with jellies, went up against Isaac the fur seal in a swimming race? Watch the result in the video below.



Even though Isaac gave Chris a head start, he left Chris sputtering in his wake. Fur seals are definitely at home in the water, and definitely athletic. Check out this video of Ursula if you're not convinced!


Aquarium staff and supporters are participating in an extreme obstacle course event called the Tough Mudder this weekend. They have been posting about their training methods and animals that inspire them to work hard here. They are also raising funds to support the Aquarium. You can help them out by donating to support their efforts.