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Leopard Seal
Leopard Seal
Common Name: Leopard Seal
Scientific Name: Hydrurga leptonyx
Description
The Leopard Seal, Hydrurga
leptonyx is a member of the 'true seal'
group, whose locomotion on land is best described as wriggling
- a series of muscular body ripples with some assistance from
the front flippers. The long body is dark grey to silver with
darker grey flippers and spotting on the shoulders, throat
and sides. The most imposing feature is its massive head,
long snout and gaping jaws, giving the animal an overall reptilian
appearance. The common name refers to the body markings but
could equally describe its behaviour.
Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx)
are one of the most awesome marine predators and
the only seal to regularly prey on warm-blooded
animals such as penguins, birds and other seals. Female leopard
seals are actually larger than males and can reach
600 kg and 3.6 m in length. Leopard seals
are more slender than elephant seals, having a long
streamlined body, constricted neck and a massive lizard-like
head. They are coloured grey above and light grey below with
dark spots (hence the name 'leopard' seal). Although both
the elephant and leopard seal breed far
to the south of Tasmania, individuals are seen in our waters
and may come ashore to rest. Usually people assume the seal
is sick or injured, however, often the seal is just resting
and will head south after they have concluded their rest.
Distribution/ Habitat and Status
Leopard Seals are a strictly
Southern Hemisphere species with a circumpolar distribution.
They inhabit the pack ice surrounding Antarctica and are known
to frequent the larger subantarctic islands such as Macquarie,
Heard and the Falklands. Occasionally individuals, usually
young inexperienced animals will stray as far north as the
Sydney beaches.
Their solitary existence have made population numbers difficult to estimate however it is not a species that has ever been threatened by hunting pressure.
Food and Feeding
 Along with the Killer Whale, the
Leopard Seal is considered the top predator of the
Antarctic seas. This lone hunter employs a number of different
strategies, including ambush to catch its favoured prey item,
penguins. Leopard Seals are powerful swimmers
easily able to match the speed underwater of a variety of
other prey such as fish, squid and even other seals.
Leopard seals eat almost anything.
Their favourite food would be penguins but seals, fish,
squid and crustaceans are also consumed.
Seals eaten include fur seal pups, crabeater seal
pups and Weddell seal pups. One animal, captured near Sydney,
contained a full grown platypus.
The feeding behaviour of leopard
seals is easily seen when their prey is penguin.
Typically the seals chase or grab penguins in the water and
thrash the captured bird back and forth until the skin peels
away. The remaining carcass is then consumed.
Because leopard seals are solitary
animals that live in the vasts of the Antarctic pack ice little
is known of their biology. Based on the evidence so far; mothers
(six years old or more) give birth to a single pup in November
after a 9 month gestation. The pup may weigh in excess of
30kg.
Breeding
 The largely solitary nature of this species and its chosen harsh environment make information on its reproductive biology difficult to gather. Mating occurs in the summer months of December and early January with females giving birth on the ice sometime late in the latter half of that year. Given the nature of the Antarctic environment it is likely that the period from birth to weaning is relatively short.
Leopard seals breed on the
Antarctic pack ice and range from the Antarctic coast to the
sub-antarctic and sub-tropical seas. An average of five leopard
seals visit the coast of Tasmania each year, but up to
18 have been sighted in one year (1990). In 1999, four leopard
seals were reported.
Natural Threats
Leopard seals may live for
26 years or more. The only natural predator of leopard seals
is the killer whale, though an indirect observation
of a male elephant seal having killed a leopard seal
while ashore at Heard Island has been reported (an uncommon
occurrence no doubt).
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