@de_.large: niko || #seals #nikotheseal #useless #seal #cute Niko (ニコ) is a Baikal Seal that was born in early 2020 at Toba Aquarium. His name comes from the Japanese onomatopeia for smiling, niko-niko (にこにこ), as he gave his caretakers happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the son of Unariko and Kucha, and he is arguably one of the most popular sealebrities, due to his eyes making him look like he is constantly crying and giving him an "old man-like appearance". This has inspired a multitude of GIFs and images captioned with "He was forced to eat cement when he was 6", or some variation of it.[1] Niko is described as a "naughty and spoiled child", and he sometimes doesn't recognize his own mother, as he was taken care of by humans during his early life.