Gunnar, a former US Navy seal of the flippered variety with a Cold War career and a knack for using screwdrivers, has died at the age of 38, the National Zoo announced.

Gunnar, who lived well beyond the normal wild gray seal lifespan of 25 to 30 years, had been in what the zoo described as "declining health" for several months and died last Friday.

He is survived by two female pups, Kara and Kija, who were born at the National Zoo but later transferred to the Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey.

According to the zoo statement, Gunnar, a native of Iceland, arrived in Washington in January 1979 from the Naval Oceans System Center in San Diego.
rest of the story here.

True relic of cold war era.

RIP Gunnar, Navy's seal.