Weddell Seal[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Pinnipedia Family: Phocidae Genus: Leptonychotes Gill, 1872 Species: L. weddellii
Binomial name
Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826)
Weddell seal range      Water      Range Image File history File links Weddell_seal. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... 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. ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... 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 For the folk-rock band see The Mammals. ... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or ; from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 species of placental mammals. ... 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. ... 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. ... Theodore Nicholas Gill (1837 - 1914) was an American ichthyologist. ... Latin name redirects here. ... René Lesson. ...      Ice

Weddell Seal, Neko Harbour, Antarctica

Weddell Seal puppy with its grey natal coat, Deception Island

The Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), is a true seal that occurs in large numbers and inhabit the circumpolar region of the southern hemisphere, including Antarctica. It is estimated that there are approximately 800,000 individuals today. It can regularly be seen in the many seasonally ice-free islands along the Antarctic Peninsula. This pinniped is not thought to migrate, and any local movements are usually the result of changes in ice conditions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 520 pixelsFull resolution (1182 × 768 pixels, file size: 255 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 520 pixelsFull resolution (1182 × 768 pixels, file size: 255 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 525 pixelsFull resolution (1171 × 768 pixels, file size: 240 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 × 525 pixelsFull resolution (1171 × 768 pixels, file size: 240 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Template:Own work, attribution required (GFDL, CC-BY 3. ... Deception Island is an island in the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula in Antarctica. ... 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. ... southern hemisphere highlighted in yellow (Antarctica not depicted). ... Antarctic Peninsula map Booth Island and Mount Scott flank the narrow Lemaire Channel on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ...

It is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. It is the only species in the genus Leptonychotes.^[1] James Weddell (August 24, 1787 - September 9, 1834) was an English navigator, sealer, and explorer of the antarctic. ... The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ...

Behavior and ecology

The Weddell Seal is known for their very deep dives — which may reach some 700 m (2,297 ft). It can also stay underwater for approximately 80 minutes. Such deep dives involve foraging sessions, as well as searching for cracks in the ice sheets that can lead to new breathing holes. The seal can remain submerged for such long periods of time because of high concentrations of myoglobin in the muscles. This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An X-ray diffraction image for the protein myoglobin. ...

Depending on the latitude it inhabits, this marine mammal gives birth from early September through November, with those living at lower latitudes giving birth earlier. It is not very social out of water, even avoiding physical contact at most times.Copulation has only been observed to occur underwater, where the female is often bitten in the neck by her partner. Young Weddell Seals have a gray pelage for the first 3 to 4 weeks; later they turn to a darker color. Play fighting is very common for this animals as it grows. The pups reach maturity at 3 years of age. The color of the adults is very dark brown, lighter ventrally, and mottled with large darker and lighter patches, those on the belly being silvery white. Adult males usually bear scars, most of them around the hind flippers and genital region. The Weddell Seal has a shorter lifespan than most other pinnipeds. On average, the Weddell Seal lives for 20 years, compared to an average life expectancy of 40 years for most other seals. This is because the Weddell Seal winters under the Antarctic sea ice adjacent to continental Antarctica where it is required to constantly grind away at the ice which forms at the edges of their breathing holes. This has the effect of wearing down its teeth over time. Once a Weddell Seal's teeth have worn down to a certain level, the seal is unable to eat and eventually starves to death. This article is about the geographical term. ... A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), a member of Order Cetacea A Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), a member of infrafamily Pinnipedia A West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus), a member of Order Sirenia A pair of Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris), a member of family Mustelidae A Polar bear (Ursus maritimus), a member... A pair of lions copulating in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. ... In mammals, pelage is the hair, fur, or wool that covers the animal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Weddell Seal lives further south than any other mammal, inhabiting the waters of McMurdo Sound, 800 mi (1,287 km) from the South Pole. This relatively meek animal is usually found in large groups on ice attached to the continent and can be easily approached by humans. “Miles” redirects here. ... “km” redirects here. ...

Protection

The Weddell Seal is protected by the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals. For the Antarctic Treaty from the Gundam anime, see Antarctic Treaty (Gundam) The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate the international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only uninhabited continent. ... The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. ...

References

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

• OBIS-SEAMAP
• ADW: Leptonychotes weddellii
• Adaptions of Diving Mammals
• Audio recording from Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Zapol, W. M. (1987). "Diving Adaptations of the Weddell Seal". Scientific American 256 (6): 100-105.