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Leopard Seal

Leopard seals are known for their incredible displays of agility in the icy waters of the Southern Hemisphere. Their extreme flexibility helps them move gracefully through the water, dodge predators, and catch prey. 

 

Leopard seals are the largest species of seal in Antarctica, growing up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) long. These seals love the ice — they are found on and below Antarctic pack ice (large oceanic patches of floating ice) as well as occasionally on subantarctic islands if conditions are icy enough. Their dark coat gradually lightens along the belly and is covered in distinctive leopard-like spots, which give the species its name.

While leopard seals primarily feed on krill, they feed on bigger prey as well, including penguins, young seals, fish, and squid. While most of the prey they eat can be found at the top of the water column, these seals have incredible diving ability, with the deepest dive by a leopard seal recorded reaching depths of 304 meters (997 feet). These mammals are highly solitary animals, spending most of their lives alone. When a male and female do come together to mate, the male departs soon after, leaving the mother to care for her pup — which she protects for only the first four weeks of its life.

 

 

Living in a rapidly changing Antarctic landscape, the primary threats to leopard seals include tourism, invasive diseases, and habitat loss caused by climate change. Currently, the leopard seal holds its status as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

 

 

Reducing the effects of climate change, protecting vital marine habitats, and continued tourism management is necessary to protect leopard seals. Oceana campaigns to protect our climate by stopping offshore drilling, while also promoting responsibly sourced offshore wind, rebuilding fisheries as a climate-friendly source of protein, and reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastics that contribute to climate change during every stage of their life cycle. 

 

 

 

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