"seals' heads and front flippers are extremely large in comparison to other phocids. Their large front flippers are used to steer themselves through the water column making them extremely agile while hunting. They use their front flippers similarly to sea lions (otariids) and leopard seal females are larger than males. They are covered in a thick layer of blubber that helps to keep them warm while in the cold temperatures of the Antarctic. This layer of blubber also helps to streamline their body making them more hydrodynamic. This is essential when hunting small prey items such as penguins because speed"
"Leopard seal The leopard seal (""Hydrurga leptonyx""), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Its only natural predators are the killer whale and possibly the elephant seal. It feeds on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, birds and fish. It is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. Its closest relatives are the Ross seal, the crabeater seal and the Weddell seal, which together are known as the tribe of lobodontini seals. The name ""hydrurga"" means ""water worker"" and ""leptonyx"" is"
"they may be at risk as polar ice caps diminish with global warming. In the wild, leopard seals can live up to 26 years old. Leopard seal hunting is regulated by the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS). Leopard seal The leopard seal (""Hydrurga leptonyx""), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Its only natural predators are the killer whale and possibly the elephant seal. It feeds on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, birds"
"to 25%. Vocalization is thought to play an important role in breeding, since males are much more vocal around this time. Mating takes place in the water, and then the male leaves the female to care for the pup, to which the female gives birth after an average gestation period of 274 days. Research shows that on average, the aerobic dive limit for juvenile seals is around 7 minutes, which means that juvenile leopard seals don't eat krill during the winter months, which is a major part of older seals diets, since krill is found at deeper depths during this"
"more breathing holes per individual, appear more restless when hauled out, and rarely defecate on the ice. Ringed seals build dens underneath fast ice for protection. Interspecific predation among pinnipeds does occur. The leopard seal is known to prey on numerous other species, especially the crabeater seal. Leopard seals typically target crabeater pups, which form an important part of their diet from November to January. Older crabeater seals commonly bear scars from failed leopard seal attacks; a 1977 study found that 75% of a sample of 85 individual crabeaters had these scars. Walruses, despite being specialized for feeding on bottom-dwelling"
"that leopards met their water requirements by the bodily fluids of prey and succulent plants; they drink water every two to three days, and feed infrequently on moisture-rich plants such as gemsbok cucumbers (""Acanthosicyos naudinianus""), tsamma melon (""Citrullus lanatus"") and Kalahari sour grass (""Schmidtia kalahariensis""). A few instances of cannibalism have been reported. Predation on bear cubs in Asia has been reported. Sub-adult giant pandas weighing up to may also be vulnerable to predation by leopards. Leopards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators such as tigers, lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, striped hyenas, brown hyenas, up to"
"Lobodontini The true seal tribe Lobodontini, collectively known as the lobodontine seals, consist of four species of seals in four genera: the crabeater seal (""Lobodon carcinophaga""), the leopard seal (""Hydrurga leptonyx""), the Weddell seal (""Leptonychotes weddelli""), and the Ross seal (""Ommatophoca rossii""). All lobodontine seals have circumpolar distributions surrounding Antarctica. They include both the world's most abundant seal (the crabeater seal) and the only predominantly mammal-eating seal (the leopard seal). While the Weddell seal prefers the shore-fast ice, the other species live primarily on and around the off-shore pack ice. Thus, though they are collectively the most abundant group of"
"this abundant food source: its unusual multilobed teeth enable this species to sieve krill from the water. Its dentition looks like a perfect strainer, but how it operates in detail is still unknown. Crabeaters are the most abundant seal in the world; 98% of their diet is made up of "" E. superba"". These seals consume over 63 million tonnes of krill each year. Leopard seals have developed similar teeth (45% krill in diet). All seals consume 63–130 million tonnes, all whales 34–43 million tonnes, birds 15–20 million tonnes, squid 30–100 million tonnes, and fish 10–20 million tonnes, adding up"
"the leopard seal, and crabeater seal. The many-storied leopard seal is a ferocious predator that preys on warm-blooded animals, such as other seals and penguins, whereas the more sedate crabeater uses its unusual multilobed teeth to sieve krill from the water. Seals have a natural enemy in the orca or killer whale of McMurdo Sound. The killer whale's voracious appetite leads it to consume up to of food daily. The orcas feature black and white coloring, a large dorsal fin up to , and enormous strength and size — males can be . The whales travel in pods of up"
"the animal and it records depth, bottom time, total dive time, date and time, surface time, haul out time, pitch and roll, and total number of dives. This information is sent to a satellite where scientists from anywhere in the world can collect the data.This is how we are currently learning so much about leopard seals diet and foraging habits. With this information we are able to calculate and better understand their diving physiology. They are primarily shallow divers but they do dive deeper than 80 meters in search for food. They are able to complete these dives by collapsing"
"is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure. Indeed, its scientific name, translated as ""lobe-toothed (""lobodon"") crab eater (""carcinophaga"")"", refers specifically to the finely lobed teeth adapted to filtering their small crustacean prey. Despite its name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. As well as being an important krill predator, the crabeater seal is an important component of the diet of leopard seals (""Hydrurga leptonyx""), which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups. The genus name of the crabeater seal, ""Lobodon"", derives from Ancient"
"30. Their main food source is the golomyanka, a cottoid oilfish found only in Lake Baikal. Baikal seals eat more than half of the annual produced biomass of golomyanka, some 64,000 tons. In the winter and spring, it is estimated that more than 90% of its food consists of golomyankas. The remaining food sources for this seal are various other fish species, especially ""Cottocomephorus"" (about 7% of the diet during the winter and spring) and Kessler's sculpin (about 0.3% of the diet in the winter and spring), but it may also take some invertebrates such as ""Epischura baikalensis"", gammarids and"
"abandons it, and the pup consumes its own fat for weeks or even months while it matures. Seals, like all marine mammals, need time to develop the oxygen stores, swimming muscles, and neural pathways necessary for effective diving and foraging. Seal pups typically eat no food and drink no water during the period, although some polar species eat snow. The postweaning fast ranges from two weeks in the hooded seal to 9–12 weeks in the northern elephant seal. The physiological and behavioral adaptations that allow phocid pups to endure these remarkable fasts, which are among the longest for any mammal,"
"after becoming separated from their group. The grey seal feeds on a wide variety of fish, mostly benthic or demersal species, taken at depths down to 70 m (230 ft) or more. Sand eels (""Ammodytes spp"") are important in its diet in many localities. Cod and other gadids, flatfish, herring, wrasse and skates are also important locally. However, it is clear that the grey seal will eat whatever is available, including octopus and lobsters. The average daily food requirement is estimated to be 5 kg (11 lb), though the seal does not feed every day and it fasts during the"
"Capelin is considered a more common choice of sustenance during the winter season. Their diet is considered to be rich in lipids and fatty acids. Hooded seals tend to feed in relatively deep waters ranging from , and dive from 5 to 25 minute durations. However, some dives can go deeper than and as long, or longer, than 52 minutes. Diving is rather continuous, with approximately 90% of their time spent submerged during the day and night, although dives during the day are generally deeper and longer. Dives during the winter are also deeper and longer than those in the"
"solitary, and do not usually live with other animals. Common leopard geckos typically feed on crickets, roaches, mealworms/superworms, and other insects. In captivity, most leopard geckos will prefer hunting food themselves. The majority of captive common leopard geckos refuse to eat dead prey. They should not be offered dead prey either, as when dried the nutritional value significantly decreases. Crickets are the most common food source to give them in captivity, as they can hunt them in their enclosure the way they would in their natural environment, though mealworms, waxworms, and dubia roaches (and, less frequently, other roach species) are"
"death behavior. The diet of ribbon seal consists almost exclusively of pelagic creatures: fish like pollocks, eelpouts, the Arctic Cod and cephalopods such as squid and octopus; young seals eat crustaceans as well. The ribbon seal dives to depths of up to 200 m in search of food; it is solitary and forms no herds. Ribbon seals located in the Bering Sea consume fish otoliths, pollock, eelpout, and arctic cod. Adult seals have relatively weak and smooth canines because their food does not need to be viciously torn. Ribbon seals have a polygynous mating system, where males mate with multiple"
"In Nepal's Bardia National Park, home ranges of male leopards comprised about , and of females about ; female home ranges decreased to when they had young cubs. The leopard is a versatile, opportunistic hunter, and has a very broad diet. It is able to take large prey due to its massive skull and powerful jaw muscles. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, the dietary spectrum of the Indian leopard includes axis deer, sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, common langur, Indian hare and peafowl. In Periyar Tiger Reserve, primates make up a large proportion of its diet. Depending on the region, the"
"but are sometimes also seen in daylight. They seem to concentrate on small to medium prey species, and usually store carcasses of large prey in caves or lairs but not in trees. Scat analyses revealed that the main prey species comprise Arabian gazelle, Nubian ibex, Cape hare, rock hyrax, porcupine, Ethiopian hedgehog, small rodents, birds, and insects. Since local people reduced ungulates to small populations, leopards are forced to alter their diet to smaller prey and livestock such as goats, sheep, donkeys and young camels. Information about ecology and behaviour of Arabian leopards in the wild is very limited. A"
"whole. Prey that is too large or awkward is taken to the surface to be torn apart. The leopard seal, a prolific predator of penguins, is known to violently swing its prey back and forth until it is decapitated. The elaborately cusped teeth of filter-feeding species, such as crabeater seals, allow them to remove water before they swallow their planktonic food. The walrus is unique in that it consumes its prey by suction feeding, using its tongue to suck the meat of a bivalve out of the shell. While pinnipeds mostly hunt in the water, South American sea lions are"
"a tidal mudflat in Humboldt Bay, striking with such momentum that the larger predator momentarily beached itself. Known parasites of this species include the tapeworms ""Phyllobothrium riseri"", ""Lacistorhynchus dollfusi"" and ""Paraorygmatobothrium barber"", as well as the copepods ""Echthrogaleus eoleoptratus"" and ""Achtheinus oblongatus"". The diet of the leopard shark consists of small benthic and littoral animals, most significantly crabs (Cancridae, Grapsidae, and Hippoidea), shrimp, bony fish (including anchovies, herring, topsmelt, croakers, surfperch, gobies, rockfish, sculpins, flatfish, and midshipmen), fish eggs, clams, and the echiurid fat innkeeper worm (""Urechis caupo""). This opportunistic hunter has also been known to eat ghost shrimp, polychaete"
"molluscs, aquatic plants, and aquatic insects. During the summer months, the greater scaup will eat small aquatic crustaceans. There is a report of four greater scaups in April near Chicago swallowing hibernating leopard frogs (with body length about ), which they dredged out of a roadside freshwater pond. In freshwater ecosystems, the greater scaup will eat seeds, leaves, stems and roots, along with sedges, pondweeds, muskgrass, and wild celery. Owing to the greater scaup's webbed feet and weight, it can dive up to and stay submerged for up to a minute, allowing it to reach food sources that are unobtainable"
"available niches. Thus, the crabeater seal, with the most specialized sieve-like dental features, is the only seal that feeds predominantly on Antarctic krill, while the leopard seal is the only seal which actively preys on other seals and penguins, while still retaining the ability to filter-feed on krill. The lobodontine seals in aggregate are among the most successful of all marine mammal groups, collectively accounting for at least 50% of all seals on Earth and about 80% of the global biomass of pinnipeds. The extremely high abundance of crabeater seals in particular, with possibly over 30,000,000 individuals, is a testament"
"is necessary. Scientists take blubber thickness, girth, weight, and length measurements of leopard seals to learn about their average weight, health, and population as a whole. These measurements are then used to calculate their energetics which is the amount of energy and food it takes for them to survive as a species. They also have incredible diving capabilities. This information can be obtained by scientists by attaching transmitters to the seals after they are tranquilized on the ice. These devices are called satellite-linked time depth recorders (SLDRs) and time-depth recorders (TDRs). Scientists attach this device usually to the head of"
"the Greek for ""small clawed"". The leopard seal has a distinctively long and muscular body shape, when compared to other seals. This species of seal is known for its massive head and jaws that allow it to be one of the top predators in its environment. A notable key feature of leopard seals is its counter-shaded coat. A counter-shaded coat is when the dorsal side of the coat is darker than ventral side. Leopard seals have a silver to dark gray blended coat that makes up its distinctive ""leopard"" coloration with a spotted pattern, whereas the ventral side of the"
"to 70% fish, 20% squid, and 2% crab. Also eaten are other crustaceans, cephalopods and sometimes birds. In rare instances, they have even been documented attacking and eating sharks. A recent incident occurred off Cape Point, South Africa, where a large male was observed attacking and killing five blue sharks between 1.0 and 1.4 m long. Observers concluded that the seal likely killed the sharks to eat the fish-rich contents of their stomachs, as well as their livers as a source of energy. The Australian fur seal mostly eats squid, octopus, fish, and lobsters. The brown fur seal dives for"
"one in Portugal. From 1996 to 2006, five strandings and sightings were noted near the Spanish coasts in the Mediterranean Sea. There is no scientific explanation for the increase in sightings and range of the hooded seal. The diet of the hooded seal is composed primarily of various amphipods (crustaceans), eeuphausiids (krill), and fish, including Atlantic Argentine, capelin, Greenland halibut, cod, herring, and redfish. They also are known to eat squid, sea stars, and mussels. Relative to the other species, hooded seals consume 3 times the proportion of redfish; percentages of capelin were similar in relation to closely related species."
"coat is paler in color—ranging from white to light gray. Females are slightly larger than the males. The overall length of this seal is and weight is from . They are about the same length as the northern walrus, but usually less than half the weight. Another notable characteristic of leopard seals are their short clear whiskers that are used to sense their environment. Leopard seals have an enormous mouth relative to their body size. The front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but their molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from"
"seals may also eat herring, smelt, whitefish, sculpin, perch, and crustaceans. Ringed seal are an important food item in particular for polar bears. During the pupping season, Arctic fox and glaucous gulls take ringed seal pups born outside lairs while killer whales, Greenland sharks and occasionally Atlantic walruses prey upon them in the water. Ringed seals have long been an important component of the diet of Arctic indigenous peoples throughout their range, and continue to be harvested annually by many communities. Early Paleoeskimo sites in Arctic Canada revealed signs of harvested ringed seals dating from c. 4000–3500 BP, likely captured"
"survive on a single bharal for two weeks before hunting again. Annual prey needs appears to be 20–30 adult blue sheep. The snow leopard is capable of killing most animals in its range, with the probable exception of the adult male yak. It also eats a significant amount of vegetation, including grass and twigs. Snow leopards have been recorded to hunt in pairs successfully, especially mating pairs. The diet of the snow leopard varies across its range and with the time of year, and depends on prey availability. In the Himalayas, it preys mostly on Himalayan blue sheep and Siberian"
"the water, in the manner of the crabeater seal. Since leopard seals are ""true"" seals, they do not have external pinnae, but they do have an internal ear canal that leads to an external opening. Their hearing in air is similar to that of a human, but scientists have noted that leopard seals use their ears in conjunction with their whiskers to track prey under water. Leopard seals are pagophilic, ""ice-loving"" seals, which primarily inhabit the Antarctic pack ice between 50˚S and 80˚S. Sightings of vagrant leopard seals have also been recorded on the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, South"
"mostly feed on fish and cephalopods, followed by crustaceans and bivalves, and then zooplankton and endothermic (""warm-blooded"") prey like sea birds. While most species are generalist and opportunistic feeders, a few are specialists. Examples include the crabeater seal, which primarily eats krill, the ringed seal, which eats mainly crustaceans, the Ross seal and southern elephant seal, which specialize on squid, and the bearded seal and walrus, which feed on clams and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Pinnipeds may hunt solitarily or cooperatively. The former behavior is typical when hunting non-schooling fish, slow-moving or immobile invertebrates or endothermic prey. Solitary foraging species usually"
"no more than deep. Pups up to one year old, however, will venture much deeper, diving as deep as . In a study conducted during the summer months, the seals have been found to feed on invertebrates such as anemones, sea cucumbers, and polychaete worms. The same study found that sculpins and arctic cod made up most of their summer diet. Sculpin were also found to be the largest fish consumed by the seals. Bearded seals are capable of preying on pelagic and demersal fish in addition to their benthic prey. Bearded seals give birth in the spring. In the"