Leopard Seal
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| Hydrurga leptonyx (Blainville, 1820) | ||||||||||||||||
| Image:Hydrurga leptonyx distribution.png Hydrurga leptonyx range map.
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The Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is one of the "true seals" belonging to the family Phocidae. It is the only species in its genus. Leopard Seals are the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after Southern Elephant Seals), and are near the top of the Antarctic food chain. Killer Whales are the only natural predators of Leopard Seals. [1]
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[edit] Physical description
Leopard Seals are large and muscular, with dark gray backs and light gray bellies. Their throats are whitish with the black spots that give the seals their common name. Females are generally larger than the males. The bulls are usually about 2.8 meters long and weigh up to 320 kg, while cows are around 3.0 meters in length and weigh up to 370 kg. Very large females can reach over 3.5 meters and weigh over 600 kg. [2]
Their senses of eyesight and smell are highly developed. These senses, coupled with streamlined bodies that enable the seals to move swiftly through the water, ensure that they are formidable predators. Although they are true seals and swim with their hind limbs, they have powerful forelimbs, giving them a maneuverability similar to sealions and fur seals. Like these eared seals, Leopard seals are shallow water hunters, and do not dive deep like Weddell seals, Ross seals and Elephant seals, which can all dive to several hundred meters in search of squid. Like most carnivores, their front teeth are sharp, but their molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water.
[edit] Behavior
Leopard Seals live in the cold waters surrounding Antarctica. During the summer months, they hunt among the pack ice surrounding the continent, spending almost all of their time in the water. In the winter, they range north to the sub-Antarctic islands. Occasionally, individuals may be spotted on the southern coasts of South America, Australia, and New Zealand, and as far north as the Cook Islands. Juveniles are more often found in the north. The animals are generally solitary, gathering only in the breeding season.
They feed on a wide variety of creatures: smaller seals probably eat mostly krill, but also squid and fish. Larger Leopard seals probably switch to feed on King and Emperor Penguins and, less frequently, seals such as Crabeater Seals.
When hunting penguins, the Leopard Seal patrols the waters near the edges of the ice, almost completely submerged, waiting for the birds to enter the ocean. It kills the swimming bird by grabbing the feet, then shaking the penguin vigorously and beating its body against the surface of the water repeatedly until the penguin is dead and skinned. The Leopard seal has no slicing teeth, and so needs to skin its prey in this way.
Leopard Seals are bold, powerful and curious. In the water, there is a fine line between curiosity and predatory behaviour, and they may 'play' with penguins that they do not intend to eat. In 2003, a Leopard Seal dragged a snorkeling biologist underwater to her death. Though aggressive behaviour and Leopard Seal attacks on humans had been previously documented, this was the first known incident in which a human had been killed by the animal [3]. Leopard Seals have also been known to snap at peoples feet through holes in the ice.
[edit] References
- Seal Specialist Group (1996). Hydrurga leptonyx. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- Australian Antarctic Division (2004). Leopard seals
- National Geographic News (2003). Leopard Seal Kills Scientist in Antarctica
- Rogers, Tracey L. (2002). Leopard Seal. In William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig & J.G.M. Thewissen eds. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals San Diego: Academic Press. 692-693.
- National Geographic Magazine, November 2006 Leopard Seals
[edit] External links
eo:Marleopardo es:Hydrurga leptonyx fr:Léopard de mer it:Hydrurga leptonyx lt:Jūrų leopardas nl:Zeeluipaard pt:Foca leopardo fi:Merileopardi sv:Sjöleopard
