Leopard Seal

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(Redirected from Hydrurga)

{{Taxobox | color = blue | name = Leopard Seal | image = leopard_seal.jpg | image_width = 200px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Mammalia | ordo = Carnivora | subordo = Pinnipedia | familia = Phocidae | genus = Hydrurga | genus_authority = Gistel, 1848 | species = leptonyx | binomial = Hydrurga leptonyx | binomial_authority = (Blainville, 1820) }} 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. Orcas are the only natural predators of Leopard Seals.

1 Physical description
2 Behavior
3 References
4 External links

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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 females (cows) are around 3.0 meters in length and weigh up to 370 kg. Very large females can reach over 3.5 metres and weigh over 600 kg. [1]

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. 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.

Image:Leopard seal Taronga.JPG

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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: squid, King and Emperor Penguins, krill, ocean fish, 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. They kill the swimming birds by grabbing the feet, then beating the body against the surface of the water repeatedly until the penguin is dead and skinned.

In 2003, a Leopard Seal dragged a snorkeling biologist to her underwater death. Though 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 [2].

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References

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.

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