Leopard seal

• Scientific Name: Hydrurga leptonyx • Common Names: Leopard seal, sea leopard • Basic Animal Group: Mammal • Size: 10-12 feet • Weight: 800-1000 pounds • Lifespan: 12-15 years • Diet: Carnivore • Habitat: Sea around Antarctica • Population: 200,000 • Conservation Status: Least Concern Description You might think the obvious identifying feature of the leopard seal is its black-spotted coat. However, many seals have spots. What sets the leopard seal apart is its elongated head and sinuous body, somewhat resembling a furry The mouth of the leopard seal turns upward at the edges, resembling a smile. Peter Johnson/Corbis/VCG / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Leopard seals live in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands. Sometimes they are found along the southern coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The leopard seal's habitat overlaps that of other seals. Behavior Leopard seals are known to play "cat and mouse" with prey, typically with young seals or penguins. They will chase their prey until it either escapes or dies, but won't necessarily eat their kill. Scientists are uncertain of the reason for this behavior, but believe it may help hone hunting skills or might simply be for sport. Leopard seal males hang under the ice when they sing. Michael Nolan / Getty Images During the austral summer, male leopard seals sing (loudly) underwater for hours each day. A singing seal...

Leopard Seal Profile The leopard seal is a carnivorous mammal known for its slender body and powerful jaws. Their exceptionally sharp teeth and impressive speed has allowed them to develop into one of the top predators in the Antarctic. Sometimes called the sea leopard, these agile animals feast on penguins, other seabirds, and shellfish. They will sit patiently by the edge of ice shelves, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and snatch prey that are preparing to surface. Leopard Seal Facts Overview Habitat: Ice shelves, ocean waters Location: Antarctic Lifespan: 12 to 15 years Size: 8 to 12 feet in length (2.5 to 3.5m) Weight: Up to 1,300 lbs (200 – 600 kg) Color: Light grey or grey-blue bodies, black spots Diet: Penguins, seabirds, shellfish, fish, smaller seals Predators: Killer whales Top Speed: 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph) in water No. of Species: 1 Conservation Status: Least concern Leopard seals inhabit the Antarctic pack ice, and due to their remote location – not much is known about them and how they breed and reproduce. They are the second largest species of seal (after the Southern elephant seal), and they have a long, muscular body and massive jaws with sharp teeth. Females are generally larger than males, and can measure between 2.5 – 3.5m (8 – 11.5 ft) in length and weigh between 200 – 600 kg (500 – 1,300 lbs). This makes them a similar size to some walrus. Leopard seals are currently protected from overhunting by international efforts as well as ...

When you think of seals, a moon-faced, snow white harp seal pup may come to mind. With a reptilian-looking head, a taste for adorable penguins and a rather violent method for breaking apart their prey, leopard seals don't exactly fit this fluffy seal ideal. But are they actually as bad as some movies and documentaries would have you believe? What do leopard seals eat? Leopard seals are named for their spotty coats. Like their big cat namesakes, these Antarctic mammals are carnivores. They have one of the most varied diets of any seal. A large part of this is made up of tiny crustaceans called krill, but they also eat squids, octopuses, penguins and other seabirds. One leopard seal even Leopard seals are the only seal species known to actively prey on other seals, taking pups of crabeater, Weddell, Ross, southern elephant and Antarctic fur seals. Extensive predation by leopard seals is thought to play a substantial role in The leopard seal's teeth reflect their varied diet. Their sharp canines and incisors are used to grab and tear large prey, whereas the molars are a trident shape and are used like a sieve to filter out water when they catch mouthfuls of smaller prey like krill. Leopard seals are agile swimmers but less graceful on land. As true seals (in the family Phocidae) their small front flippers can't hold up their body, so on land they have to flop along on their bellies. Despite this, they are thought to spend up to These long and muscular marine predators are aid...

Name: Leopard Seal, Sea Leopard ( Hydrurga leptonyx) Length: 2.5-3.5 metres Weight: 200–600 kg Location: The Antarctic plus southern hemisphere shorelines Conservation status: Least Concern Diet: Penguins, other species of seal, krill, squid, fish Appearance: Mottled, dark grey on back, lighter on belly. How do Leopard Seals hunt? The diet of a particular Leopard Seal depends on its size. Smaller seals will depend more on krill, fish, squid, and penguins, while larger seals will attempt going after other members of the seal family.Leopard Seals hunt penguins by floating in waters near edges of ice or land where penguins have congregated. They then catch penguins in the water and thrash them around much like a dog catching prey.Leopard Seals have a special arrangement in their jaws. They have large canines designed to latch onto prey, but their back molars lock together in such a fashion that they can strain krill from water, somewhat in the same manner that baleen whales sieve Do Leopard Seals socialize? Leopard Seals are generally solitary, grouping only during mating season. How fast can Leopard Seals go? Leopard Seals can swim at speeds reaching 37 km per hour. This is fast enough for them to launch themselves up onto land. What are Leopard Seal mating rituals like? Males sexually mature at 3 years of age, females at 2 years.During mating season, the females and males make long-distance mating calls to each other. Pregnancy lasts about 10 months, the birth occurring dur...

Name: Leopard Seal, Sea Leopard ( Hydrurga leptonyx) Length: 2.5-3.5 metres Weight: 200–600 kg Location: The Antarctic plus southern hemisphere shorelines Conservation status: Least Concern Diet: Penguins, other species of seal, krill, squid, fish Appearance: Mottled, dark grey on back, lighter on belly. How do Leopard Seals hunt? The diet of a particular Leopard Seal depends on its size. Smaller seals will depend more on krill, fish, squid, and penguins, while larger seals will attempt going after other members of the seal family.Leopard Seals hunt penguins by floating in waters near edges of ice or land where penguins have congregated. They then catch penguins in the water and thrash them around much like a dog catching prey.Leopard Seals have a special arrangement in their jaws. They have large canines designed to latch onto prey, but their back molars lock together in such a fashion that they can strain krill from water, somewhat in the same manner that baleen whales sieve Do Leopard Seals socialize? Leopard Seals are generally solitary, grouping only during mating season. How fast can Leopard Seals go? Leopard Seals can swim at speeds reaching 37 km per hour. This is fast enough for them to launch themselves up onto land. What are Leopard Seal mating rituals like? Males sexually mature at 3 years of age, females at 2 years.During mating season, the females and males make long-distance mating calls to each other. Pregnancy lasts about 10 months, the birth occurring dur...

• Scientific Name: Hydrurga leptonyx • Common Names: Leopard seal, sea leopard • Basic Animal Group: Mammal • Size: 10-12 feet • Weight: 800-1000 pounds • Lifespan: 12-15 years • Diet: Carnivore • Habitat: Sea around Antarctica • Population: 200,000 • Conservation Status: Least Concern Description You might think the obvious identifying feature of the leopard seal is its black-spotted coat. However, many seals have spots. What sets the leopard seal apart is its elongated head and sinuous body, somewhat resembling a furry The mouth of the leopard seal turns upward at the edges, resembling a smile. Peter Johnson/Corbis/VCG / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Leopard seals live in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands. Sometimes they are found along the southern coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The leopard seal's habitat overlaps that of other seals. Behavior Leopard seals are known to play "cat and mouse" with prey, typically with young seals or penguins. They will chase their prey until it either escapes or dies, but won't necessarily eat their kill. Scientists are uncertain of the reason for this behavior, but believe it may help hone hunting skills or might simply be for sport. Leopard seal males hang under the ice when they sing. Michael Nolan / Getty Images During the austral summer, male leopard seals sing (loudly) underwater for hours each day. A singing seal...

When you think of seals, a moon-faced, snow white harp seal pup may come to mind. With a reptilian-looking head, a taste for adorable penguins and a rather violent method for breaking apart their prey, leopard seals don't exactly fit this fluffy seal ideal. But are they actually as bad as some movies and documentaries would have you believe? What do leopard seals eat? Leopard seals are named for their spotty coats. Like their big cat namesakes, these Antarctic mammals are carnivores. They have one of the most varied diets of any seal. A large part of this is made up of tiny crustaceans called krill, but they also eat squids, octopuses, penguins and other seabirds. One leopard seal even Leopard seals are the only seal species known to actively prey on other seals, taking pups of crabeater, Weddell, Ross, southern elephant and Antarctic fur seals. Extensive predation by leopard seals is thought to play a substantial role in The leopard seal's teeth reflect their varied diet. Their sharp canines and incisors are used to grab and tear large prey, whereas the molars are a trident shape and are used like a sieve to filter out water when they catch mouthfuls of smaller prey like krill. Leopard seals are agile swimmers but less graceful on land. As true seals (in the family Phocidae) their small front flippers can't hold up their body, so on land they have to flop along on their bellies. Despite this, they are thought to spend up to These long and muscular marine predators are aid...

• Afrikaans • العربية • Azərbaycanca • تۆرکجه • বাংলা • Беларуская • Беларуская (тарашкевіца) • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Cebuano • Čeština • Dansk • Deutsch • Diné bizaad • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • Galego • 한국어 • Հայերեն • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Italiano • עברית • ಕನ್ನಡ • ქართული • Қазақша • Kotava • Kurdî • Кыргызча • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Magyar • مصرى • Монгол • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • Polski • Português • Русский • Shqip • Simple English • Slovenčina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • Tiếng Việt • Winaray • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 ( Hydrurga leptonyx range map • homei (Lesson, 1828) • leptonyz (de Blainville, 1820) The leopard seal ( Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, Hydrurga. Its closest relatives are the hydrurga means "water worker" and leptonyx is the Greek for "thin-clawed". Taxonomy [ ] French zoologist Description [ ] The leopard seal has a distinctively long and muscular body shape when compared to other seals, but it is perhaps best known for its massive jaws, which allow it to be one of the top predators in its environment. As "true" seals, they do not have external ears or pinnae, but possess an internal ear canal that leads to an external opening. Distribution [ ] Leopard seals are Most leopard seals remain within the pack ice throughout the year and remain solitary during most of their lives with...

Leopard Seal Profile The leopard seal is a carnivorous mammal known for its slender body and powerful jaws. Their exceptionally sharp teeth and impressive speed has allowed them to develop into one of the top predators in the Antarctic. Sometimes called the sea leopard, these agile animals feast on penguins, other seabirds, and shellfish. They will sit patiently by the edge of ice shelves, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and snatch prey that are preparing to surface. Leopard Seal Facts Overview Habitat: Ice shelves, ocean waters Location: Antarctic Lifespan: 12 to 15 years Size: 8 to 12 feet in length (2.5 to 3.5m) Weight: Up to 1,300 lbs (200 – 600 kg) Color: Light grey or grey-blue bodies, black spots Diet: Penguins, seabirds, shellfish, fish, smaller seals Predators: Killer whales Top Speed: 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph) in water No. of Species: 1 Conservation Status: Least concern Leopard seals inhabit the Antarctic pack ice, and due to their remote location – not much is known about them and how they breed and reproduce. They are the second largest species of seal (after the Southern elephant seal), and they have a long, muscular body and massive jaws with sharp teeth. Females are generally larger than males, and can measure between 2.5 – 3.5m (8 – 11.5 ft) in length and weigh between 200 – 600 kg (500 – 1,300 lbs). This makes them a similar size to some walrus. Leopard seals are currently protected from overhunting by international efforts as well as ...