Leopard seals are named after their spotty coat, but they live up to their name and are fearsome hunters. Filling the niche that polar bears hold in the Arctic, they are the top predators of Antarctic waters.

Statistics
Males (bulls): 2.5-3.2m, 200-455kg. Females (cows): 2.4-3.4m, 225-590kg.

Physical description
The leopard seal is slender-bodied, with a spotted coat (hence its name) and long flippers. It has a large mouth with long canines, well suited to grabbing prey.

Distribution
Leopard seals are usually found near the Antarctic pack ice. They sometimes reach the South African and Australian coasts.

Diet
They have a fearsome reputation and are opportunistic predators. They hunt Adelie penguins, squid, krill and other seals, particularly crabeater seals. One leopard seal was found to have an adult duck-billed platypus in its stomach!

Behaviour
Leopard seals are solitary, typically only gathering in groups during the breeding season. Their only significant predator is the killer whale.

Conservation status
Leopard seals are not considered to be endangered. They escaped from large scale commercial hunting due to the inaccessibility of their pack ice habitat. Populations are estimated to be at about 220,000-440,000 individuals.