Weddell seal sleeping on beach in Antarctica

---

The Weddell Seal a "true seal", is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. They occur in large numbers and inhabit the circumpolar region of the southern hemisphere, including Antarctica. It is estimated that there are approximately 800,000 individuals today. Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. Situated in the southern hemisphere and largely south of the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At million km², it is the fifth-largest continent in area. The name Antarctica comes from the Greek antarktikos, meaning "opposite to the Arctic. On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.

---

Size: 5190px × 3384px
Location: antarctica
Photo credit: © Michael DeFreitas Antarctic / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, antarctic, antarctica, beach, breeding, carnivora, circle, cold, frozen, fur, gray, grey, horizontal, islands, landscape, leptonychotes, mammal, marine, nature, ocean, pinniped, polar, pole, resting, seal, seals, shetland, sleep, sleeping, slumber, smile, sms, south, southern, travel, traveler, traveling, traveller, travelling, weddell, weddellii, wildlife