By Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46771610
By Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46771612
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Rob
They are the second-largest species of Antarctic seals (after the southern elephant seal). The orca is their only natural predator. They prey particularly on penguins.
The leopard seal hunts penguins by patrolling the waters around the borders of the ice while nearly submerged and watching for the birds to dive into the ocean. It grabs the swimming bird's feet, shakes it violently, and repeatedly beats the penguin's body against the water's surface until the bird is dead.
When compared to other seals, the leopard seal has a distinctly lengthy and muscular body form, but it is arguably best recognized for its enormous jaws, which enable it to be one of the top predators in its ecosystem. Their molars lock together in a way that allows them to sift krill from the water like the crabeater seal. Their front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores.
The leopard seal hunts penguins by patrolling the waters around the borders of the ice while nearly submerged and watching for the birds to dive into the ocean. It grabs the swimming bird's feet, shakes it violently, and repeatedly beats the penguin's body against the water's surface until the bird is dead.
When compared to other seals, the leopard seal has a distinctly lengthy and muscular body form, but it is arguably best recognized for its enormous jaws, which enable it to be one of the top predators in its ecosystem. Their molars lock together in a way that allows them to sift krill from the water like the crabeater seal. Their front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores.
Leopard seals are powerful predators that could be dangerous to people. Human attacks are uncommon, but..........
- While an expedition was camped on the sea ice, Thomas Orde-Lees (1877-1958) was attacked by a sizable leopard seal. Orde-Lees was pursued by the "sea leopard," a 1,100 lb (500 kg) Leopard Seal that measured around 12 ft (3.7 m) in length. Only when another expedition member shot the Leopard Seal was he spared.
- In 1985, Canadian-British explorer Gareth Wood was bitten twice on the leg when a leopard seal tried to drag him off the ice and into the sea. His companions managed to save him.
- On September 26, 2021, three spearfishers were spearing around 400 meters offshore when they came upon a leopard seal close to the diving location Spaniard Rock in Simon's Town, South Africa. The men were attacked by the seal, which robbed them of their flippers and spearguns while they were swimming back to land. The seal continued to harass the men for a half-hour, biting and puncturing them numerous times.
- While snorkeling in Antarctica in 2003, researcher Kirsty Brown of the British Antarctic Survey was killed by a leopard seal. This was the first reported death of a human at the hands of a leopard seal.