Who is watching who?
Leopard seals have no natural predators in the food-rich waters of Antarctica. Even the apex of apex predators - Orca do not really harass or hunt these animals. They are big, slender and very agile hunters. Since they do not have predators they do not fear much - Especially, humans, which can be awesome as you can have incredibly close encounters. Also, can be bad, as curiosity and aggression is a very, very fine line.
The goal though at all times when you are exploring the tiny coves and bays on the peninsula is to encounter these animals & interact with them safely and responsibly. Lucky for us it is very, very common to see more than one of these predators stalking around a penguin breeding colony.
Who is watching who here…?
A good friend, Alex - kayaking on the peninsula when he came upon a large male Leopard seal resting on an ice floe.
*Click image to view full size.
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Cool
Nice, rare photo op. Bet he'll want a copy.
hahah! Well, my friend, Alex - who is on the kayak has this shot and the entire series of the interaction. He was stoked with the shots. As for the leopard seal - I never got his contact details to send him a copy ;)
LOL!
I love reading nature articles like this and learning more about wild animals, so these leopard seals live a pretty good life if they're not hunted like other wild animals so they're essentially the top of the food chain in this environment. That's if humans don't come and ruin it for them.
Random fact: They use to be hunted in the old sealing days about 100 years ago. The main use of the seal was to make dog food. They stopped hunting them not long after they started.
Can they really hunt down penguins? I thought they can barely move while penguins are more agile and aggressive. Well you have increased my little tiny knowledge.
When leopard seals are in the water than penguins are definitely on the menu. However, when they are resting on the ice, like the picture, penguins are safe. Most interestingly though, the majority of leopard seals diet is actually Krill.
Wow so amazing!!!!
Thanks! It was quite the encounter :)
Nice good
Doctor who XD
Wow that's amazing to see that in nature.
Sangat indah momen naik perahu di danau es dan espedisi pejalanan yang sangat luar biasa
Wonderful nature! How cold is the water there?
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the water is quite cold - somewhere between 2 degrees and -1 degree celsius during the summer season