All dressed up with no where to go – Leopard Seals..
Submitted by Racing Yacht Management Blog
Lep in Ryder Bay with Leonie behind (my playground) this was taken on the way back from a trip to Lagoon.
This is a picture by Paul Nicklen of a Lep that was one of the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
Leps are the bain of our lives down here at Rothera. The Marine Team is effected sometimes on a daily basis by their prescence. At least 4 dives since I have been here that I was meant to do have been aborted when we were fully kitted up about to go in as a result of them. It really is frustrating when we have work to do. Someone described them as sinister and evil looking they really are. I don’t like snakes at all and leps look like reptiles and swim like reptiles as well.
They are the second largest species of seal down here only the ellie (elephant seal) is larger. The leopard seal is the Antarctic’s equivalent of the polar bear and is the top predator on the continent. It has canine teeth that are 2.5 cm (1 in). Read more about them here.
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