An unexpected guest arrived to take a long nap.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal was found resting Tuesday morning along Kailua Beach.

A curious crowd gathered around the endangered mammal to catch a glimpse of the rare sight. Barricades were put up around the seal to prevent on-lookers from getting too close.

They are known to bite and as a reminder, since they are a federally protected animal, there's a stiff penalty if you get too close.

"I've lived here about 40 years now on the beach and I've never seen a monk seal here before," said Tom Lyons of Kailua. "This is the very first time."

"This is quite common though for seals to haul out during the day," said David Schofield of NOAA Fisheries Service. "We think they do most of their activity or foraging in the evening times so they just come up on the beach usually during the day in the mainland Hawaiian islands here."

The fisheries service said about 20 monk seals are known to be living on Oahu.

It's believed that this one has been sleeping on the beach at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station for the past two weeks.

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