Harbor seal
The other day, I was at Pillar Point near Half-Moon Bay (California), trying to photograph seagulls. And then this harbor seal appeared, and I got a quick picture before it disappeared under water again. It had beautiful rosette-like spots.
No surprise I have both seagulls and seals (and sea lions!) in the book I'm currently revising, The Twelve Impossible Tasks. To ransom his little sister from supernatural kidnappers, the protag Joel has to undertake the twelve labors of Hercules - with a San Francisco twist.