Wildlife
Leopard seals are named after their spotty coats and for being fearsome hunters. As one of the top predators in Anatarctic waters, they fill the niche that polar bears hold in the Arctic. Leopard seals attack and eat other seals, penguins and fish, however about half their diet is made up of small shrimp-like crustaceans called krill.
Scientific name: Hydrurga leptonyx
Rank: Species
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Time to relax
Antarctic fjords in summer mean sun and fun for leopard seals.
Antarctic fjords in summer mean sun and fun for leopard seals.
First swim
Leopard seals lie in wait for young Adelie penguins.
One of the most dramatic sequences ever filmed in the Antarctic captured the top predators of the southern seas in violent action. Since there are no polar bears here, it's easily forgotten that that there are big predators lurking beneath the waves and the leopard seals are aptly named. The footage shows the gaunlet that young penguins have to run to avoid being a meal for a seal.
Leap of faith
Doug Allan risks filming lethal leopard seals in Antarctic waters.
Doug Allan risks filming lethal leopard seals in Antarctic waters.
Predator and prey
Leopard seals have evolved to hunt penguins.
The leopard seal is four metres long, has large teeth, and is a super predator. No wonder that penguins are reluctant to be first in the water. Once in, the penguins must swim for their lives.
The Leopard seal can be found in a number of locations including: Antarctica. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Leopard seal distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It is most common in the southern hemisphere along the coast of Antarctica and on most sub-Antarctic islands, but can also be found on the coasts of southern Australia, Tasmania, South Africa, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, Tierra del Fuego, the Cook Islands, and the Atlantic coast of South America. It can live twenty-six years, possibly more.Orcas and large sharks are the only natural predators of leopard seals.
Along with all of the other earless seals, it belongs to the family Phocidae, and is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. The name hydrurga means "water worker" and leptonyx is the Greek for "small clawed".
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Adapted to swimming
Carnivorous
Nomadic
Polygynous
Active at birth
Cold tolerant
Viviparous