Antarctic Fox - Day 2: Leopard
Antarctic Fox - Day 2: Leopard
By Rachel and Kevin Fox
Summer of 2008-9
Antarctic Peninsula
There are five main species of seal on the Antarctic Peninsula, but one of rarest and most interesting is the leopard seal. Unlike other Antarctic seals that subsist primarily on krill, fish, or squid, the leopard seal's diet consists primarily of penguins. Its long, serpentine body is built for speed and agility, and its mouth is fixed in a smile looking simultaneously content, menacing, and mesozoic.
On a typical week-long expedition, a group is lucky to see one or two leopard seals, and many trips go by without seeing any at all. Imagine our surprise at not only coming across a leopard resting on some floating ice in the harbor, but in coming close enough to get pictures like these:
Visit the web site for a log and many photos of Leopard and Weddell seals.
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