Elephant seal ‘stops the traffic in Brazil’

Motorists in the Brazilian resort of Balneario Camboriu were stunned recently when they were forced to come to a halt in order to let an elephant seal cross the road.

The giant creature jumped out of the Atlantic Ocean in order to take a stroll through the middle of a shopping district of the town.

He was photographed making his way across a zebra crossing, indicating he even had respect for the Highway Code during his enthralling jaunt.

Many motorists were annoyed by the delays caused by the gigantic mammal, but after several hours on land, the seal returned to the sea.

Dozens of snaps of the animal were taken as it wandered through the streets and across roads, often in front of oncoming traffic.

In one particular case, it took more than an hour to cross a road, leading the driver stuck behind it to become increasingly irate, while passers simply stopped to witness the extraordinary sight.