I just saw a show on PBS that featured a leopard seal. I came in on the end of it, so I'm not sure where they were. It may have been the arctic or somewhere near the antarctic. Anyway, the underwater photographer encountered a leopard seal. This thing was big and looked to be a pretty mena predator. It caught a penguin and then offered it to the underwater photographer. This went on for some time. It really was amazing. the photographer did not accept the penguin and the seal finally grew bored and left, leaving the penguin and the photographer behind.

So tell us dean, what do we know about leopard seals?

 

Leopard seals are very effective predators indeed. They live in the waters around Antarctica and eat a lot of penguins. They have been known to hunt people as well. Shackleton had a lot of problems with them during his epic struggle in 1914-1917. They pop up out of holes in the ice and snatch things on the surface.

[caveat: I'm not Dean, and I know more about Shackleton than about leopard seals.]

 

that was a cool show!!

man I wouldn't want to mess with those teeth.
on the beach they look so timid and quiet with thier muths closed but what an evil grin with a penguin in it's mouth.

 

What was the show's name? Maybe I can find a torrent or download of it in a few days on a news group.

 

i work with the Australian Antarctic Division and see them daily - yes leopard seals do look timid on the ice and are a graceful creature in the water - but they are in fact one of the top predators down south - last years the British Antarctic Survey lost a young female biologist to a large leopard seal - she was taken whilst in the water studying it.

we treat all animals with the utmost respect and give them the space they need - unfortunately occasionally mishaps like this occur. But we will continue to study the earths final frontier in hope that we can learn about and share something which i believe is worth protecting.

 

I love these threads. You are aware that I am a tropical marine biologist and I have a nearly phobic aversion to snow and ice even on postcards, are you not?
The leopard seal is a true seal (no external ears is one easy way to differentiate them from the sea lions) and an apex predator which grows to about a thousand pounds and four meters in length. There has been one documented case of a leopard seal killing a human of which I am aware - back in 2002 - 2003.
They feed on penguins, fish, and other seals generally, but they can also feed on krill through filter-feeding (sort of similar to the baleen whales). They also have a nasty habit of beating a captured penguin against the water until the penguins skin peels off, then eating it.

 

Thanks for sharing that tidbit, Dean

Anyone for roasted & skinned penguin breeast...instead of smoked Turkey breast

 

Maybe - we could skip the step of soaking it in brine.

 

If I'm not mistaken, there was an article in either this months or last months National Geographic about leopard seals. I wonder if the PBS special & the NG article are one and the same?