9,696
edits
Difference between revisions of "Leopard seal"
no edit summary
Westarctica (talk | contribs) |
Westarctica (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
===Foraging behavior=== | ===Foraging behavior=== | ||
[[File:Leopard seal 05.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Leopard seal yawning]] | [[File:Leopard seal 05.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Leopard seal yawning]] | ||
The leopard seal is second only to the [[orca|killer whale]] among Antarctica's top predators. Its canine teeth are 2.5 cm (1 in). It feeds on a wide variety of creatures. Young leopard seals probably eat mostly [[krill]], squid, and fish. Adult seals probably switch from krill to more substantial prey, including king, adelie, rockhopper, gentoo, emperor, and [[chinstrap penguin|chinstrap penguins]], and less frequently, Weddell, [[crabeater seal|crabeater]], Ross, and young Southern elephant seals. Leopard seals have also been filmed eating fur seal pups. | The leopard seal is second only to the [[orca|killer whale]] among Antarctica's top predators. Its canine teeth are 2.5 cm (1 in). It feeds on a wide variety of creatures. Young leopard seals probably eat mostly [[krill]], squid, and fish. Adult seals probably switch from krill to more substantial prey, including king, adelie, rockhopper, [[gentoo penguin|gentoo]], [[emperor penguin|emperor]], and [[chinstrap penguin|chinstrap penguins]], and less frequently, Weddell, [[crabeater seal|crabeater]], Ross, and young Southern elephant seals. Leopard seals have also been filmed eating fur seal pups. | ||
Around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, the Antarctic fur seal (''Arctocephalus gazella'') is the main prey. Other prey include penguins and fish. [[Antarctic krill]] (''Euphausia superba''), [[southern elephant seal]] (''Mirounga leonina'') pups and seabirds other than penguins have also been taken as prey. | Around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, the Antarctic fur seal (''Arctocephalus gazella'') is the main prey. Other prey include penguins and fish. [[Antarctic krill]] (''Euphausia superba''), [[southern elephant seal]] (''Mirounga leonina'') pups and seabirds other than penguins have also been taken as prey. | ||