Sea lions are viewed as adorable sea mammals and can do amazing tricks. They can also write, and do that in Chinese characters, too. A sea lion has surprised tourists by writing the Chinese character “Xu” for “dog”, which is Chinese zodiac sign for 2018, during a press preview at an aquarium in Japan on Tuesday. /VCG Photo

A trainer helped the 13-year-old animal in painting the word with a brush. Chen, the animal will perform twice a day to attract Chinese visitors from January 1, 2018, until January 31 at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. /VCG Photo

Chen is not the first sea lion to attempt Chinese calligraphy. Leo in 2011 and Jay in 2012 had impressed the crowds by writing “rabbit” and “dragon”. /VCG Photo