Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)
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.
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About the Leopard seal
The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) 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.
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Scientific Classification
Family: Earless seal (Phocidae)
Genus: Hydrurga
Species: Leopard Seal (leptonyx)
The Leopard seal is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Leopard seal is Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Hydrurga leptonyx (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Animal Bytes: fast and fun facts (antarcticconnection.com)
- Seal Conservation Society fact sheet (pinnipeds.org)
- Australian Antarctic Division leopard seal fact file (seaworld.org)
- Leopard Seal (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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