The title comes from the Russian word tyulen, meaning seal, which is how this clip is labelled on soundboards shared by Russian-speaking users. Seal vocalisations have long been popular in animal compilations because different species bark, honk and grunt in surprisingly human-like ways. Short animal clips like this spread easily in edits and chats, where a single bark can stand in for laughter, complaint or surprise. It remains in use because it needs no translation and pairs well with other short reaction sounds in fast meme cuts.