yes, in my review of the zoo (http://www.zoochat.com/247/visit-chengdu-zoo-15-november-2013-a-344932/) I wasn't sure that they weren't harbour seals because there was no informational signage. The spotted seal used to be treated as a subspecies of the harbour seal and some places still call them harbour seals. At the COEX Aquarium in South Korea they have seals labelled as harbour seals which I now think are actually spotted seals, having seen how common they are in Chinese zoos!
By the way, I am basing the identification of the animals at Chengdu Zoo as spotted seals on that all the others in Chinese zoos are spotted seals. Like I said there was no label on their pool as to which species they were. (Also the two other collections in Shanghai -- the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium and the Shanghai Natural Wild-Insect Kingdom -- had seals specifically identified as spotted seals).
Rarity "? Go to Japan, and you will see Largha-Seal at EVERY Aquarium and in many,many Zoos-they are there as common as Harbour seals in europe.)also Baikal Seals-I've even seen them in phantastic Shows)
Indeed ist not easy to tell the diffrence between both species, but at one place in Japan I've seen both in the same exhibit on land, so I could compare them very good.But the diffrences are minimal.So you havn't missed something, if you haven't seen it.
Rarity "? Go to Japan, and you will see Largha-Seal at EVERY Aquarium and in many,many Zoos-they are there as common as Harbour seals in europe.)also Baikal Seals-I've even seen them in phantastic Shows)
