Leopard Seal - Hydrurga leptonyx - on an iceberg in the Melchior Islands in Antarctica
The Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the Southern Elephant Seal), and is near the top of the Antarctic food chain. It is most common in the southern hemisphere along the coast of Antarctica and on most sub-Antarctic islands, but can also be found on the coasts of southern Australia, Tasmania, South Africa, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, Tierra del Fuego, and even as far north as the Cook Islands, and the Atlantic coast of South America. It can live twenty-six years, possibly more. Orcas are the only natural predators of leopard seals. Along with all of the other earless seals, it belongs to the family Phocidae, and is the only species in the genus Hydrurga.
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Melchior Islands in Antarctica
Photo credit: © Photography by STEVE ALLEN / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, antarctic, antarctica, coast, history, hunter, hydrurga, ice, iceberg, islands, leopard, leptonyx, mammal, melchior, natural, nature, peninsula, phocidae, polar, seal, tourism, travel, wild, wildlife, world
