Leopard Seal

◆ The family name is Phocidae - “true seals”

◆ Harp seals, Harbor seals, and Elephant seals are related

◆ species belonging to the same family as the Leopard Seal.

◆ This family is known as the largest group of pinnipeds.

◆ These types of seals do not have external ear lobes.

◆ These seals usually look awkward on land because of their hind

flippers that can’t move and their front flippers are very short so they

are in need of dragging their bodies around.

◆ The Leopard Seal is named for its unique patter of its spotted coat on it’s dorsal side and it’s pale color

on it’s ventral side. It has a long slender body that reaches to about 2.41-3.38 m in length and has the potential to weigh

between 200-591 kg. Even though it may seem odd, the female sea leopards are usually larger than the male.

This particular seal has a large head and long broad fore flippers.

The adult seals have large canine teeth and 2 lobes that are located on both sides of the

jaw that allow them to use it as some type of filter for feeding on krill form the water.

◆ The Leopard Seal is widely distributed in the high southern latitudes. It’s commonly found on the edges for

Antarctic pack ice, but since they are solitary, some are also found on some subantarctic islands.

The Sea Leopards are common visitors of Australia and New Zealand as well.

◆ The Leopard Seal is a carnivore, and it eats a varied diet. It goes after small mammals such as other small seals,

penguins, and even other birds. They also feed upon squid, fish and krill.When the Leopard Seal

catches a penguin of even any other small mammal its going after it catches it by their feet and

shakes them by beating them to the surface of the water until its actually dead.

◆ The Leopard Seal is known to be a very solitary animal. After an 8-9 month gestation period,

the female seals give birth to one pup on an pack ice in between the months of november and...