Leopard seal
Hydrurga leptonyx
The leopard seal , also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second biggest species of seal in the Antarctic . 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 26 years, possibly more.
Leopard seals are predators, feeding mainly on other seals, penguins, fish and krill. Killer Whales are the only known, albeit infrequent, 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".
Leopard seals are predators, feeding mainly on other seals, penguins, fish and krill. Killer Whales are the only known, albeit infrequent, 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".