Antarctic Seals

ANTARCTIC SEALS

In addition to the five true seals, Southern Elephant, Weddell, Leopard, Crab eater and Ross, there is one other, the only eared seal, the Antarctic Fur Seal.

All seals (pirinipeds) are carnivorous.

The Fur Seal is the only seal that can position its hind feet (flippers) beneath its body in order to hop or walk on land, unlike the true seals that tend to shuffle or caterpillar whilst ashore. Be warned! The male Fur seal has a habit if disturbed, of approaching you at break-neck speed.

The Crab eater does not eat crabs, but lives entirely on krill, and is the most abundant of all the seals in the world. A population of up to 70 million has been estimated, most probably due to the decline in whale numbers, leaving it greater reserves of krill. Adult Crab eaters grow to 2.7metres in length and reach 230 kilograms.

The Leopard Seal is a predator, looks the part, and has been known to attack humans. Whilst adult males reach 3 metres, the females often grow larger at around 3.6 metres. Leopard seals with their long sleek bodies and leopard spots, support powerful jaws and have a near snake-like appearance. Feeding often on small seals, penguins and fish, it does have the ability to filter the sea for krill, like the Crab eater. It’s rare to see these seals in the company of others due to their solitary nature.

Southern Elephant Seals are the largest of the species growing up to 6 metres in length. They can weigh as much as 4 tons (3,600 kilograms). While the male is easily distinguished by his large inflatable nose or proboscis, the females don’t support this feature and weigh considerably less at around 1 ton and grow to around 3.6 metres in length. Southern Elephant seals are often found gathered together in muddy wallows during their moult. They feed on squid and small fish, don’t migrate but tend to move with the advance and retreat of the pack ice. Male adults may supervise a harem of up to 50 fifty females, and defend their breeding territory aggressively, much like the Antarctic Fur Seals.

The Weddell Seal is probably the most southerly of all breeding mammals, weighing in at around 900pounds, (400 kilograms) and growing to approximately 3 metres in length. The Weddell Seal has a diet consisting of Antarctic cod, krill and squid and it can stay submerged below the ice for up to one hour. Spending most of the winter months under the fast ice, they maintain breathing holes in their territory. Due to the lack of predators under the ice, they pay very little attention when encountering humans.

Finally the least known Ross Seal, a solitary and rarely-seen member of the team, lives close to the heavy ice and near to the continent. At approximately 2.8 metres in size the Ross Seal is known to be very vocal, nicknamed the “singing seal,” their calls can be heard over long distances. Its main diet consists of squid but they also eat fish and krill. There is relatively little data with regard to their breeding habits.