A fur seal has turned up on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, thousands of miles from her home in the Arctic.

She was first spotted by a local sailor and has since been causing a mixture of amazement and concern amongst residents.

At first it was thought the animal could be hurt, but Rafael Carvalho, a biologist from Rio de Janeiro State University, confirmed all was well, saying: "Apparently it is just resting.

"At some point people tried to get closer and she had a defensive reaction, an aggressive reaction, which is indicative that there is nothing wrong with the animal."

In the end, the seal slept, sunbathed and later made her way to open water, rolling on her back and swimming out to sea.

It remains a mystery as to why she was spotted so far from her natural habitat of the Arctic waters.