1. Leopards of the Sea

2. Species  Their species is the Hydrurga Leptonyx.  The Leopard Seals order is a Carnivora their suborder is the Pinnepedia.  The Leopard Seals family is called the Mammalia.

3. Physical Features  Leopard Seals have smooth bodies  Very thick fur  Round dark eyes  They have four flippers  A black spotted coat  It has a huge head  They have enormous jaws  They’re earless  They’re 850 pounds  They’re 12 feet long

4. Lifespan and Endangered  The Leopard Seal is able to live 26 or more years.  The Leopard Seals are not threatened or endangered in any way.  It is at the top of the food chain in the Antarctic region.  Even a treaty helps to save Leopard Seals.

5. Habitat, Landforms, and Climate  They live in and around the Antarctic.  They also live on the coast Antarctic and sub Antarctic islands.  Leopard Seals spend most of their time in the ocean.  They live on packs of ice and island coasts.  The temperature is very cold and generally dry.  Antarctica is the coldest, and windiest place on Earth.  There is no daylight during the winter.

6. Food  The Leopard Seal is a carnivore.  Two main things that the Leopard Seals eat are the Crabeater Seal and the Adelie Penguins.  Other things that they eat are krill, fish, and seabirds.

7. Prey and Predator Prey  Adelie Penguins  Krill  Fish  Crabeater Seals  Seabirds Predator  Orca/killer Whale  People

8. Their Behavior TTTThe Leopard Seal spends a lot of time alone and comes together at mating time. TTTThe Leopard Seals will attack mostly anything that comes near them. TTTThey are found often on pack ice and very hard ice. YYYYoung Leopard Seals migrate north every year.

9. Reproduction  A Leopard Seal breeds between the ages of 2 and 7.  When it is time the mom digs a hole in the ice to get the food when they need it and after a nine month gestation it gives birth to a single pup in the summer.  It is 70 lbs. when born and doubles their weight in the first 3 months of life.

10. Physical Adaptations  They have very long and sharp teeth for cutting and tearing their prey.  It has powerful and highly developed forelimbs allowing it to move quickly in different directions.  It has a very loose jaw that can open very large to bite big prey.

11. Behavioral Adaptations  They wait in hiding and pounce on the first penguin to jump in the water.  They come up beneath seabirds resting on the water surface to catch them.  In the late fall young Leopard Seals migrate North to the sub Antarctic islands so that they can find more animals to eat.

12. Physiological Adaptations  They have a thick layer of fat under their skin known as blubber, which holds warmth.  They have an excellent vision and sense of smell which helps them hunt.  Their body has lungs that are able to hold their breath for 15-30 minutes so they can stay under water longer.

13. Fun Facts TTTThey are known to be very loud during breeding season. TTTThe female seals are larger than the males. (The female is 1,000 pounds and the male is 800 pounds.) TTTThere are currently more than 220,000 Leopard Seals in the world.