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The Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is a seal 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. They can live twenty-six years, possibly more.[1] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3102x2154, 718 KB) fr: Léopard de mer (Hydrurga leptonyx ) en: Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) scan de photo : B.navez - Kerguelen - 1999 File links The following pages link to this file: Pinniped ...
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ...
Image File history File links Status_none_EX.svg‎ Graphic diagram for the IUCN Red List categories. ...
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For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...
Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ...
Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex...
Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or ; from Latin carÅ (stem carn-) flesh, + vorÄre to devour) includes over 260 species of placental mammals. ...
Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ...
Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (September 12, 1777 - May 1, 1850) was a French zoologist and anatomist. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 479 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (900 × 1127 pixel, file size: 80 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Leopard Seal ...
subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ...
The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ...
Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ...
For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ...
Binomial name Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758 The Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the Northern Elephant Seal). ...
Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ...
Physical description Leopard seals are large and muscular, with dark grey backs and light grey on their stomachs. 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 400 kg. [2]
Compared to most phocids Leopard Seals are highly evolved for their role as keystone predator. Although they are true seals and swim with their hind limbs, they have powerful highly developed forelimbs similar to a sea lion, giving them a maneuverability similar to Otariidae such as sea lion and fur seals. A classic example of convergent evolution. Like these eared seals, Leopard seals are shallow water hunters, and do not dive deep like the other seals of the antarctic Weddell seals, Ross seals and Elephant seals, which can all dive to several hundred meters in search of squid. Leopard seals have unusually loose jaws that can open more than 160 degrees allowing them to bite larger prey. Their heads also are more similar to that of a mammal-like "reptile" than that of a mammal. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ...
For other uses, see Sea Lion (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Sea Lion (disambiguation). ...
Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals, or Arctocephalinae make up one of the two distinct groups of marine mammals called seals. Fur seals are usually smaller than sea lions and have a coat of dense fur intermixed with guard hairs. ...
In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ...
Genera Arctocephalus Callorhinus Eumetopias Neophoca Otaria Phocarctos Zalophus The eared seals (or walking seals), family Otariidae, are the fur seals and the sea lions. ...
Binomial name (Lesson, 1826) Weddell Seal, Neko Harbour, Antarctica Weddell Seal puppy with their grey natal coat, Deception Island The Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), a true seal, is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. ...
Species M. leonina M. angustirostris Elephant seals are large, oceangoing mammals in the genus Mirounga, in the earless seal family (Phocidae). ...
Mammal-like reptiles is a term used to describe the prehistoric animals that appear to be the reptilian ancestors of mammals. ...
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, similar to crabeater seals. 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. Binomial name Dana, 1850 Antarctic krill are eaten by penguins(Euphausia superba) is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. ...
Binomial name Hombron & Jacquinot, 1842 Distribution of Crabeater Seal The Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is one of the most remarkable, though least known, of the mammals of the world. ...
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. Image File history File linksMetadata Leopard_seal_Taronga. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Leopard_seal_Taronga. ...
Giraffes in front of Sydneys skyline. ...
An icebreaker navigates some through young (1 year) sea ice Sea ice is formed from ocean water that freezes. ...
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South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...
 The Leopard seal, Cuverville Island
 The Leopard seal, Cuverville Island
 The Leopard seal, Petermann Island Leopard seals are solitary creatures and come together in small groups only when it is time to mate. The female digs a hole in the ice and after a nine months gestation the female gives birth to a single pup during the Antarctic summer. She protects the pup until it is able to fend for itself. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 526 pixelsFull resolution (1167 × 768 pixels, file size: 187 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Template:Own work, attribution required (GFDL, CC-BY 3. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 526 pixelsFull resolution (1167 × 768 pixels, file size: 187 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Template:Own work, attribution required (GFDL, CC-BY 3. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 523 pixelsFull resolution (1175 × 768 pixels, file size: 262 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Template:Own work, attribution required (GFDL, CC-BY 3. ...
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Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 528 pixelsFull resolution (1163 × 768 pixels, file size: 159 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Template:Own work, attribution required (GFDL, CC-BY 3. ...
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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.
Human Attacks In 2003, a Leopard seal dragged Kirsty Brown, a snorkeling biologist, underwater to her death [3] in what was identified as the first known human fatality from a leopard seal. However, as an "apex predator" in their native environment, numerous examples of aggressive behavior, stalking, and attacks on humans had been previously documented. [4]. Leopard seals have previously shown a particular predilection for attacking the black, torpedo-shaped pontoons of rigid inflatable boats, necessitating that researchers equip their craft with special protective guards to prevent them from being punctured. Leopard seals have also been known to snap at peoples' feet through holes in the ice. For the car body style, see Ponton (automobile). ...
The estimated population of leopard seals currently stands at around 3,000.
Feeding Leopard seals 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. Families Euphausiidae Euphausia Dana, 1852 Meganyctiphanes Holt and W. M. Tattersall, 1905 Nematobrachion Calman, 1905 Nematoscelis G. O. Sars, 1883 Nyctiphanes G. O. Sars, 1883 Pseudeuphausia Hansen, 1910 Stylocheiron G. O. Sars, 1883 Tessarabrachion Hansen, 1911 Thysanoessa Brandt, 1851 Thysanopoda Latreille, 1831 Bentheuphausiidae Bentheuphausia amblyops Krill are shrimp-like marine...
For other uses, see Squid (disambiguation). ...
Binomial name Miller,JF, 1778 The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 90 cm (3 ft) tall and weighing 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin. ...
Binomial name Gray, 1844 The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species. ...
Binomial name Hombron & Jacquinot, 1842 Distribution of Crabeater Seal The Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is one of the most remarkable, though least known, of the mammals of the world. ...
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. Previous reports stating that Leopard seals skin their prey prior to feeding have been found to be incorrect. Lacking the teeth necessary to slice their prey into manageable pieces, they flail their prey from side to side in order to tear and rip it into smaller pieces.
See also AMMRC was established in 1996 as a co-operative centre of the University of Sydney and the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales. ...
References The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ...
The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...
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