Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) is one of eight seals in the genus Arctocephalus, and one of nine fur seals in the subfamily Arctocephalinae.Despite what its name suggests, the Antarctic fur seal is mostly distributed in Subantarctic islands [3] and its scientific name is thought to have come from the German vessel SMS Gazelle, which was the first to collect specimens of this ...
The Weddell seal [2] (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica.The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. [3]
Video of a leopard seal swimming and looking for emperor penguins in Antarctica, from Watanabe et al., Activity Time Budget during Foraging Trips of Emperor Penguins A leopard seal attacking an emperor penguin. The only natural predator of leopard seals is the orca. [4] The seal's canine teeth are up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long. [35]
The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga), also known as the krill-eater seal, is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are the only member of the genus Lobodon .
All lobodontine seals have circumpolar distributions surrounding Antarctica. They include both the world's most abundant seal (the crabeater seal) and the only predominantly mammal-eating seal (the leopard seal). While the Weddell seal prefers the shore-fast ice, the other species live primarily on and around the off-shore pack ice. Thus ...
Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals, in contrast, while doing much of their feeding at the edge of the continent, breed on subantarctic islands, such as South Georgia. Warmblooded prey makes up a significant proportion of the leopard seal 's diet, and is occasionally taken by Antarctic fur seals.
The wildlife of Antarctica are extremophiles, having adapted to the dryness, low temperatures, and high exposure common in Antarctica. The extreme weather of the interior contrasts to the relatively mild conditions on the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands , which have warmer temperatures and more liquid water.
Pinnipeds can produce a number of vocalizations. While most vocals are audible to the human ear, Weddell seals have been recorded in Antarctica making ultrasonic calls underwater. [145] In addition, the vocals of northern elephant seals may produce infrasonic vibrations. Vocals are produced both in air and underwater; the former are more common ...