Leopard Seal is sometimes called the sea leopard, and the resemblance is more than skin deep. Like their feline namesakes, leopard seals are fierce predators.
They are the most formidable hunters of all the seals and the only ones that feed on warm-blooded prey, such as other seals. Leopard Seal is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic .
Leopard Seals are 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, the Cook Islands, and the Atlantic coast of South America.
The Australian Post has issued the WWF stamp series features this seal on September 11, 2001, along with the issuance the local WWF cover as the First Day Cover of this stamp series.
Leopard Seals can live 26 years, possibly more. Leopard seals are earless seals. They have long bodies 3 to 3.5 meters and elongated heads. Like most other seals, leopard seals are insulated from frigid waters by a thick layer of fat known as blubber.Though the leopard seal is known for its coat, it has not been commercially hunted for its skin like its fur seal relatives.
The leopard seal lives in the cold waters surrounding Antarctica. During the summer months, it hunts among the pack ice surrounding the continent, spending almost all of its time in the water. In the winter, it ranges north to the sub-Antarctic islands.
The leopard seal is a solitary creature and comes together in small groups only when it is time to mate. Leopard seals are potentially highly dangerous towards humans, but attacks are rarely reported.
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