The leopard seal is a bloodthirsty creature. Leopard seal - dangerous and terrible

Its dark-spotted skin and ferocious disposition are the reason why this seal got its formidable name. The leopard seal is quite rightly considered the only absolute predator in the diverse family of true seals. This is because its diet is based on warm-blooded vertebrates, most often penguins and other seals.

An adult leopard seal grows up to 4 meters in length and weighs up to half a ton. Females are noticeably larger and stronger than males. It differs from other seals in its long flexible neck and flattened small head. The long, spindle-shaped body is covered with short, dense fur. It is perfectly adapted for swimming. When moving, the leopard seal actively works with its front fins and flippers, which gives it incredible speed and maneuverability. The sharp fangs reach 2.5 cm, the back teeth are adapted for filtering krill from sea ​​water. There are no auricles. An excellent sense of smell and vision helps the predator in hunting. Thin fat layer forces him to constantly look for prey in order to get the calories necessary for life.

Leopard seals settled in the harsh Antarctic waters. In winter, they sail to the subantarctic islands, reaching Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and occasionally even Australia and New Zealand. In the summer they return back to Antarctica. They spend most of the year close to the coastline where their prey lives.

Despite the predatory nature of the leopard seal, about 45% of its diet consists of krill - small sea crustaceans. As night falls, they rise from the depths to the surface of the water. The seal passes water through its mouth, straining out crustaceans and small fish. Another 10% of food is a variety of fish. But the remaining 45% comes from penguins and smaller crabeater and Weddell seals. In water, adult penguins are faster and more agile than a leopard, which is why young birds that are just starting to swim serve as its prey. The predator hides behind an iceberg and waits for the penguins to dive. Then he pounces on them, grabs them by the skin and shakes it until it comes off the carcass. Then it eats only fat, the most energy-intensive part of the prey. They show such aggressiveness closer to autumn, when it is necessary to feed before a long journey.

The daily life of leopard seals is studied by scientific research expeditions, but still little is known about them. In the spring, with songs, males attract females to the ice caves of icebergs, where they mate with them. After 11 months, the cubs are born right on the ice. Their length reaches one and a half meters and their weight is 30 kilograms. For just a month, the mother feeds the offspring with milk, and then teaches swimming and hunting. Then they part forever. Young leopard seals form small flocks, but adult animals are solitary and meet only during the mating period.

Leopard seals are also dangerous to humans. There have been recorded cases of them attacking divers. In 2003, such a beast drowned marine biologist Kirsty Brown, who was only 28 years old. Researchers are advised to immediately leave the water if these predators appear nearby. Although it happened that a seal brought captured penguins to people with the clear intention of playing.

The number of leopard seals is estimated at 400,000 individuals. Global changes climate change could put them at risk. Melting ice, the disappearance of icebergs and drifting ice floes will deprive leopard seals of habitat, breeding and hunting. But so far the magnificent beast is not in danger of extinction.

The leopard seal is a species of true seal that lives in the sub-Antarctic regions of the Southern Ocean. It is one of the most formidable and dangerous sea predators.

It was named leopard for its spotted skin, and also because of its very predatory behavior - it is also ferocious and dangerous to other sea animals.

Leopard seals can be found throughout the entire perimeter Antarctic ice, causing, along with the killer whale, a lot of anxiety to its more peaceful inhabitants.

Antarctic...

Hydrurga lept...

Antarctica is the sixth continent or white desert. Almost the entire 14 million square kilometers is covered with ice so that there is no shelter or food. This is why it is very, very difficult to survive here.

In summer the water here is filled with life. A huge mass of plankton, mostly krill - the sea crustacean zuphasid, more than 250 species of sponges - some of them the size of a diver, sea ​​urchins and stars, octopuses, worms, jellyfish weighing one and a half centners.

Only here are there unique white-blooded fish, whose blood does not contain hemoglobin, and is therefore colorless and never freezes - almost like antifreeze.

This “menu” attracts a wide variety of eaters to Antarctica - sea animals, birds and fish. The most respectable visitors are baleen whales: sei whales, humpback whales, fin whales and the largest animals on the planet, whose weight sometimes exceeds 160 tons. We are pleased with the generous catch - fish, shellfish, crustaceans, everything. But there is an animal in the pinniped family that has expanded the traditional diet of its fellows. This is him - the leopard seal.

This predatory spotted seal tirelessly hunts penguins and other warm-blooded fauna. At the same time, without refusing the corpses of pinnipeds and whales, it happily eats squid, fish and even krill.

The leopard seal has a streamlined body, allowing it to develop great speed in the water. Its head is unusually flattened and looks almost like a reptile's; its mouth has two rows of powerful teeth with fangs. The animal has virtually no subcutaneous fat.

A male leopard seal is about three meters long and weighs 300 kilograms - and the weight of a female leopard seal can reach half a ton. When catching up with prey, a leopard can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. Due to the streamlined shape of the body, this seal resembles a torpedo, which facilitates movement at high speed. The front fins reach a meter and, working synchronously, carry the body forward. The long flexible neck holds the flattened head, reminiscent of a snake. The huge mouth has powerful jaws and huge teeth. This is the portrait of a killer seal.

A distinctive feature of the leopard seal is that it does not arrange collective rookeries, but prefers splendid solitude.

When summer begins, leopard seals head closer to the food - penguin colonies. These pinnipeds have two methods for hunting. When penguins swim near an ice floe or mainland and are easily able to jump out of the water, a leopard seal approaches them underwater from afar and without noise. Without surfacing, it pulls its prey down. It's another matter when the penguins are on big water, far from the coast. Swimming up to the birds underwater, the seal suddenly surfaces nearby. In confusion, most of the birds jump away, and a few freeze in confusion right in front of the muzzle. The predator directly enjoys the effect. Having come to their senses, the birds flee for their lives and try to hide, giving out hoarse cries. Behind them, like a torpedo cutting through the water, a sea leopard rushes. And with the last jump he catches up with those running away. Soon everything calms down.

While hunting for seals, the leopard seal also hides under water. When diving to a depth of 300 meters, he is able to stay there for about ten minutes, retaining oxygen in his muscles and blood. During diving, the force of water pressure compresses the animal’s nostrils, and when opening its mouth to capture prey, soft sky and tongue close the back wall of the pharynx, preventing water from entering the lungs. If the attack in the water fails, then he can continue the chase on land, but not for long. IN aquatic environment It’s easier for him, his element is there.

The leopard seal also poses a danger to people. There have been cases of attacks on boats. The pinnipeds jumped out of the water and tried to grab the man’s leg. Christy Brown became a victim during a polar expedition in 2003. During the researcher's dive, a leopard seal grabbed her leg with its teeth and pulled her to a depth of 70 meters, the woman suffocated. Aggressive behavior was developed in the animal during evolution, the habit of attacking any potential prey.

The leopard seal lives in the only place on the planet Antarctica. Total in the Southern Ocean this moment There are about 400 thousand leopard seals. This species has never been subjected to mass hunting and the number of animals is quite high.

The leopard seal is a representative of a force in motion. By this he deservedly deserved admiration, attention and protection. Australia even released a dollar coin with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of England on it. front side coins, and on the back - a leopard seal and its cub against the backdrop of Antarctica and the icy expanses.

Video: Leopard seal:...

Of all the seals, only leopard seals are considered true hunters. The main place of accumulation of these animals is the subpolar Antarctic. Here they play the role of “top predator”, like lions in Africa. They prowl the coastal waters of Antarctic ice shelves. Leopard seals are distinguished by their ferocious temperament, huge fangs and the ability to chase prey at enormous speeds.

The leopard seal (lat. Hydrurga leptonyx) is a species of true seal that lives in the sub-Antarctic regions of the Southern Ocean. It got its name due to its spotted skin, as well as its very predatory behavior. One of the largest representatives of the family of true seals, its size and weight are second only to the males of the southern elephant seal. Its scientific name can be translated from Greek and Latin as “diving” or “small-clawed water-working”. At the same time, this is a real Antarctic predator. It is the only representative of the south polar fauna, a significant part of whose diet is occupied by large warm-blooded animals - penguins, flying waterfowl and even seal brothers. A cute image of a hardworking animal, inspired by his Latin name, instantly dissipates, you just have to get to know him better and look into the unblinking eyes of the killer. They literally exude chilling coldness and decisive strength.

And don't let his cute little face fool you

Imagine yourself as a penguin. He walks along Antarctica, first looks into the ocean before diving...

... and there’s such a puck on him!

then a short chase...

grabs him with her tenacious teeth

tight tight...

and then - rrraz! ...And that's it.

Today the penguin is just food and has not passed the exam natural selection.

These animals are indiscriminate in food: they do not refuse krill, fish, and even the meat of their relatives.
The leopard seal has a very streamlined body, allowing it to develop great speed in the water. Its head is flattened and looks almost like a reptile's. The front fins are greatly elongated and the leopard seal moves in the water with the help of their strong synchronized strokes. The male leopard seal reaches a length of about 3 m, the females are somewhat larger with a length of up to 4 m. The weight of males is about 270 kg, and in females it reaches 400 kg. The coloration on the upper part of the body is dark gray and silvery-white below. Gray spots are visible on the head and sides.

The leopard seal is found along the entire perimeter of Antarctic ice. Young individuals swim to the shores of the subantarctic islands and are found there all year round. Occasionally, migrating or stray animals end up in Australia. New Zealand and to Tierra del Fuego.
Along with the killer whale, the leopard seal is the dominant predator of the south polar region, being able to reach speeds of up to 40 km/h and dive to depths of 300 m. It regularly preys on crabeater seals, Weddell seals, eared seals and penguins. Most leopard seals specialize in hunting seals during their lives, although some specialize in hunting penguins. Leopard seals attack their prey in the water and kill it there, however, if the animals flee to the ice, then leopard seals can follow them there. Many crabeater seals have scars on their bodies from attacks by leopard seals.
Leopard seals live alone. Only younger individuals sometimes form small groups. Between November and February, leopard seals mate directly in the water. Except for this period, males and females have virtually no contact. Between September and January, a single calf is born on the ice and is fed with its mother's milk for four weeks. Between the ages of three and four years Leopard seals reach sexual maturity, and their average duration life is about 26 years.

Sometimes leopard seals also attack people. On July 22, 2003, British scientist Kirsty Brown became the victim of a similar attack while diving. For six minutes, the leopard seal held her with its teeth at a depth of 70 m until she suffocated. This is the only human death associated with leopard seals so far, although there have been repeated attacks in the past.
They are not afraid to attack boats or jump out of the water to grab a person's leg. The targets of such attacks were mainly employees of research stations.
The reason for this is the frequent tactic of leopard seals, attacking animals located on the edge of ice floes from the water. At the same time, it is not easy for a leopard seal from the water to recognize or distinguish who exactly its prey is.
In contrast to examples of aggressive behavior of leopard seals, the famous Canadian photographer and winner of several awards, Paul Nicklen, who photographed their underwater hunting of penguins, argues that peaceful contact can be established with these animals. Photographer Paul Nicklen went underwater with his camera to photograph one of the most formidable predators Antarctica. Paul was scared - the leopard hunts warm-blooded vertebrates (penguins, seals) and easily tears them apart - but the professional in him still prevailed. It was a very large individual. The female approached the photographer, opened her mouth and wrapped her jaws around his hand with the camera. After a moment, she let go and swam away. And then she brought him a live penguin, releasing it right in front of Paul. She then caught another one and offered it to him again. Since the photographer did not react in any way (only took pictures), the animal apparently decided that the diver was a worthless predator. Or weak and sick. So she began to catch exhausted penguins for him. Then the dead, who could no longer swim away. She began to bring them directly into the cell, probably believing that it was through it that Paul fed. The penguin man refused to eat. Then the leopard tore one of them into pieces, showing how to handle them.



This is how Gennady Shandikov describes the hunt for penguins: “I had to see the bloody meal of a leopard seal from the shore two weeks later, in January 1997, on the same Nelson Island. That day, the ornithologists and I, two married couples - Marco and Patricia Favero, and Pipo and Andrea Caso - went to inspect the colonies of Antarctic blue-eyed cormorants. The day turned out to be unusually warm, bright and sunny. We passed a huge colony of tens of thousands of bearded chinstrap and gentoo penguins. About twenty minutes later, a magnificent coastal landscape opened up to our eyes, which was exactly like the rocky beaches of Kara-Dag with rocks rising at the water's edge. The similarity would be complete if it weren’t for the snow and icebergs, reminding us that this is not Crimea at all. Hundreds of penguins descended to a narrow cove in a crevice between the rocks. All of them covered a two-kilometer path from the colony to this picturesque beach. But for some reason the birds stopped on the shore, not daring to rush into the water. And from above, lines of more and more penguins slid down the ice slide. But they immediately froze in place. And then I saw the drama unfolding right before our eyes. Penguins began jumping out from under the water onto the coastal edge of the ice like rockets. They flew up to a height of up to two meters, splashed on their bellies on the snow and, in a panic, tried to “swim away” along the hard snow crust away from the shore. And further, about fifty meters away, in a narrow neck lined with rocks, a massacre was taking place. Strong slaps on the water, whipped into a bloody foam, feathers floating everywhere - this was a leopard seal finishing off another penguin. It should be noted that the leopard seal has a very unique tactic of eating its victims. First, he rips off the skin from the penguin's body, like a stocking. To do this, the seal tightly clamps the victim in powerful jaws and furiously thrashes it on the surface of the water. For a whole hour, as if spellbound, we watched this terrible sight. We counted four penguins that were eaten and one that escaped.”

Scientists estimate that the leopard seal population in southern seas has about 400 thousand individuals. Today this species is not endangered.
In 2005 In Australia, a coin with the image of a leopard seal was issued with a face value of 1 Australian dollar and a total weight of 31.635 grams. 999 silver. The obverse side of the coin depicts a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of England; the reverse side of the coin depicts a leopard seal with a cub against the backdrop of a map of Antarctica and a landscape with water and ice.

When you hear the word “leopard,” try to forget about the ferocious big cat with the spotted skin. Better imagine another formidable predator - one of the most powerful and dangerous sea ​​creatures Antarctica. Of course, he is not at all similar to his namesake from the feline family, however, only the mention of him makes employees of research stations look around nervously. Meet the leopard seal (lat. Hydrurga leptonyx).

This is a member of the true seal family that lives in the sub-Antarctic regions of the Southern Ocean. It received this name due to its spotted skin and predatory nature: the leopard seal feeds on penguins and seals, waiting for them at the edge of drifting ice.

The body length of a male leopard seal is about three meters and weighs up to 300 kg. Females are a meter longer and 100 kg heavier. It is interesting that with such a mass this predator has almost no subcutaneous fat. On the contrary, its body is very graceful and streamlined, which allows it to reach speeds in water of up to 40 km/h. It is also helped in this by the highly elongated front fins, with the help of which the seal makes sharp synchronized strikes.

The upper body of the leopard seal is dark gray with gray spots on the head and sides. The belly is silvery white. The head is flattened from the sides, which gives the predator a resemblance to a reptile. Its teeth are somewhat similar in structure to teeth, although they are not as well adapted to prey on krill.

Interestingly, about 45% of the leopard seal's diet comes from krill, while seals and penguins account for 35% and 10%, respectively. The remaining 10% is fish and cephalopods, which the predator eats only in the absence of its main food. It's funny, but leopard seals also have their own taste habits. So, some of them prefer seals, while others simply cannot live without penguins.

They catch their prey in the water, although sometimes they can attack on land. These predators have interesting feature: they hunt anything Living being, found itself at the edge of the water. That is why people sometimes suffer from their attacks.

True, today there is only one known case of death - the victim of a leopard was 28-year-old British researcher Christy Brown, who was dragged by the animal to a depth of 70 meters and held there until the poor thing suffocated. That is why, when leopard seals appear, all scuba divers are advised to rise to the surface.

But Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen claims that these animals are absolutely harmless. In any case, while working in Antarctica he came across quite peaceful creatures. Moreover, they constantly tried to feed him, bringing him either a penguin carcass or a piece of seal. Probably, the photographer’s appearance aroused pity in them - what could catch such a fragile and slow creature as a person?

Leopard seals live alone; only very young individuals can form groups. Mating occurs in November-February, and babies are born in September-December. Usually, right on the ice, the female gives birth to just one baby, which she feeds with milk for no more than a month.

The lifespan of leopard seals is about 26 years, and they reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age.

The depths of the sea are inhabited by a huge number of inhabitants. Some of them are quite cute and cute creatures, some are very strange, incomprehensible, and some are completely invisible. But now we will talk about one of the most formidable and dangerous inhabitants of the sea - about leopard seal.

Appearance of a leopard seal

Leopard seal belongs to the family seals, and is the largest representative of this species. The size of this predator is impressive - the body length of the male is 3 meters, the female is up to 4 meters.

The weight of females is almost half a ton and about 270-300 kg. in males. As you can see, females cannot boast of grace, but on the contrary, they are quite weighty compared to males. But, despite such size, there is very little subcutaneous fat on the leopard seal’s body.

The huge body has a streamlined shape, which allows it to develop high speed in the water. Strong and powerful long limbs, as well as natural flexibility, serve the same purpose.

The shape of the skull is flattened, which makes it resemble the head of reptiles. In the mouth of a leopard there are two rows of sharp teeth with fangs up to 2.5 cm. Vision and smell are well developed, there are no auricles.

This leopard, in fact, was called partly for its color - there are random white spots on the dark gray skin of the back. The belly is light, but the pattern of spots on it is, on the contrary, dark. The skin itself is very dense, the fur is short.

Leopard seal habitat

The leopard seal lives in Antarctica, along the entire perimeter of the ice. Juveniles swim to small isolated islands in sub-Antarctic waters and can be there at any time of the year. Animals prefer to stick to the coastline and not swim far into the ocean, except during migration.

The most important delicacy for a leopard seal is penguins.

With the onset of winter cold, leopard seals swim to more warm waters Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, New Zealand, Australia. On the most remote of the inhabited islands, Easter Island, traces of this animal were also found. When the time comes, leopards move back to their Antarctic ice.

Leopard seal lifestyle

Unlike its seal relatives, the leopard seal prefers to live alone rather than gather in large groups on the shore. Only younger individuals can sometimes form small groups.

Males and females do not contact in any way, except for those moments when it is time to mate. During the day, the animals lie calmly on the ice floe, and when night comes, they dive into the water to feed.

When hunting for penguins, a leopard seal can jump onto land

The leopard seal is considered one of the main and dominant predators in its territorial waters. Thanks to the ability to reach a speed of 30-40 km/h in water, the ability to dive to a depth of 300 meters and the ability to jump high out of the water, this sea animal has created the reputation of a real leopard.

Leopard seal diet

Despite its enormous size and fame as a ferocious beast of prey, the basis of the leopard seal's diet (45% of all its food) is krill. Its mouth is designed in such a way that it can filter water through its teeth so that small crustaceans end up inside. This device is similar to the structural features of the mouth of the crabeater seal, but less perfect.

Another significant ingredient in the leopard seal's menu are small mammals - crabeater seals, eared seals, Weddell seals and.

Pictured is a leopard seal cub

Moreover, individual predators can specialize in a certain form animals. It is not clear what caused this - hunting habits, habits or taste preferences.

It is very difficult to catch an adult penguin, which can swim as well as the predator itself, so chicks most often become victims. On penguins and seals the hunt is on mainly due to the fat the leopard needs.

Leopards hunt such prey both in water and by jumping onto land. It often happens that a gaping penguin stands at the edge of the ice, while a predator has already noticed it from the depths.

Being able to deftly and quickly jump onto the ice, the leopard seal easily grabs unwary animals. Some manage to escape and flee, as evidenced by the numerous scars on their bodies.

If it was not possible to escape, then the animal will face a bloody reprisal. The leopard has the habit of skinning its prey by sharp jerks. Swinging its prey from side to side over the water, the leopard seal separates the meat it does not need from its fatty skin.

Such hunting becomes more and more active in the fall, when the predator needs to “warm up” before the cold weather. The animal also feeds on fish, but in very small proportions.

From the water, it is quite difficult for a leopard seal to distinguish what kind of animal it is hunting, so sometimes they even attack people. But this is very rare - only one death involving a person was recorded.

Then the leopard seal attacked the female scientist and dragged her under the water, holding her there until she suffocated. Despite the apparent danger of these large animals, professional photographers still find the courage to study them. And many speak of leopard seals as curious and harmless animals.

Reproduction and lifespan

With the arrival of spring, leopard seals begin their breeding season. In order to attract a female, gentlemen are ready for some sophisticated tricks - for example, in order to amaze her with the power of their voice, they swim into the cavities of icebergs, which work as sound amplifiers, and sing mating songs there.

Having copulated in water in spring or summer, females expect offspring to appear in 11 months, that is, with the arrival of the next warm season. The cubs are born on the ice, immediately surprising in size - up to 30 kg. weight and about one and a half meters in length.

For the first month, the female feeds him with milk, then teaches him to dive and hunt. Leopard seals reach sexual maturity at four years of age, and their life expectancy is about 26 years.

Despite the fact that their current population is about 400 thousand individuals, the life of these large seals directly depends on the amount of drifting Antarctic ice, because they live on it, and their offspring are born on the ice floes.

Therefore, perhaps the main danger for these animals will be global warming. We can only hope that climate change will not threaten their lives.