Spinning Seal
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About
Spinning Seal is a viral video featuring a Hawaiian monk seal at the Waikiki Aquarium spinning while floating in the water. The video first appeared online in 2012 and has since been referenced in other memes and videos, sometimes seen as a reaction GIF. The seal’s name was Maka Onaona and passed away in 2018.
Origin
The original Spinning Seal video was uploaded by Vimeo[1] user Brian on November 9th, 2012, under the title “Silly, spinning Hawaiian Monk Seal.” The video (shown below), includes a description of the encounter, stating, “Recorded at Waikiki Aquarium. This seal just started spinning around and around. For how long, I don't know since I left but for sure, it was didn't stop at the end of this video!” Since being uploaded, the clip has been viewed over 825,000 times and liked 558 times.
Spread
After the original video was shared online, the clip became a viral video within about a year. On April 8th, 2013, BuzzFeed[2] reporter Michelle Van Dyke published an article about the spinning seal under the title “Hawaiian Monk Seal Spins Like A Top,” which noted that Maka Onaona arrived at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu back in 1984.
On April 10th, 2013, Redditor[3] cookehMonstah posted a reuploaded clip of the seal from YouTube to the /r/videos subreddit, receiving over 1,600 upvotes and 112 comments. On June 10th, 2015, Imgur[4] user AlooSnackbar posted a GIF of the spinning seal to the site (seen below), receiving over 191,000 views in roughly five and a half years.
On August 24th, 2015, YouTuber[5] Julian Japenga uploaded a 10-hour version of the clip, referencing the “No Need To Be Upset” meme with the song "Happy H Christmas", receiving over 6.6 million views, 171,000 likes and 20,000 comments (shown below, left). One June 4th, 2017, YouTuber[6] Sazzie uploaded another variant of the spinning seal sped up to various speeds (shown below, right), receiving over 105,000 views, 1,900 likes and 267 comments.
Death
On September 4th, 2018, the Honolulu Star Adviser[7] published a story on Maka Onaona (meaning “gentle eyes”) noting that Maka had passed away at the age of 34 from natural causes. “He was 34 years old, the equivalent of about 100 years old in human years,” the aquarium said.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Vimeo – Original Spinning Seal
[2] Buzzfeed – Monk Seal Spins
[4] Imgur – Spinning Seal GIF
[5] YouTube – Julian Japenga
[7] Star Adviser – Monk Seal Dies At 34
