STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD posted several photos of seals basking off the waters of Staten Island on its Special Ops account on Monday.



About a dozen of the mammals were spotted hanging out on Hoffman and Swinburne islands in the Lower Bay, easily viewable from South and Midland Beach.



"Winter visitors in the New York Harbor," the social media post reads. It includes three photos of the seals.

Winter visitors in the New York Harbor. The seals at Swinburne & Hoffman Islands. @NYPD122Pct @NYPD60Pct @NYPD120Pct pic.twitter.com/vUdxXD8BXX — NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) January 19, 2015

While not a common site, seals continue to visit the Island periodically.

Last April, for instance, seals were spotted on consecutive days on the South Shore.

Harbor Seals were once plentiful in these waters, but their population has been diminishing since colonial times. They were hunted for oil and fur and also because they were seen as a nuisance to fishermen – stealing the catch and ruining nets.

Robbin's Reef off the North Shore is named for them (robyn is the Dutch word for seal).

More: Staten Island has its own version of 'Baywatch' in search of seals