Leopard+Seal+-+Beccy+Tait

(latin name ://Hydrurga leptonyx//)
 * Leopard seals**
 * Hydrurga meaning:** //Water Worker//
 * Leptonyx meaning:** //Small Clawed.//


 * Kingdom:** Animalia
 * Phylum:** Chordata
 * Class:** Mammalia
 * Order:** Carnivora
 * Suborder:** Pinnipedia
 * Family:** Phocidae
 * Subfamily:** Monachinae
 * Tribe:** Lobodontini


 * Genus:** Hydrurga
 * Species:** H. leptonyx

http://designeranimals2011.wikispaces.com/Future+Seal+by+Beccy+Tait+
 * To Future Animal:**

__http://designeranimals2011.wikispaces.com/Puijila+Darwini+-+Beccy+Tait__
 * To Past Animal:**

Leopard seals are considered the most feared predator in the Antarctic Ocean. It i3s named ‘__Leopard__ Seal’ for it’s black-spotted coat. The pattern is similar to that of the feline counterpart. But the resemblance is not just on the outside. Like their feline namesakes, Leopard Seals are ferocious hunters. They are the most fierce hunters of all the seals and the only ones that feed on warm-blooded prey, such as other seals. They are the largest ‘true Antarctic seal’. The largest, arguably the Southern Elephant Seal is located more towards the Antarctic Convergence, but do venture down to the Antarctic. Leopard Seals have a diet of mainly penguins, but occasionally eat krill, squid and other seals. It can grow to be over 3.4 meters and 540 kg. They are known as the ‘Polar Bears’ of the south.

Since it’s early ancestor the Pujila, the Leopard Seal has adapted to its surroundings in many different ways.

//-Adaption 1 - Sharp Teeth// The Leopard Seal’s main diet is either Penguins, or other seals. Penguin and Seal hide is mainly blubbery, and very slippery. Their prey are extremely fast, so many sharp teeth are needed to bring down the animal. The Leopard Seal’s sharp teeth allow for it to bite down hard with a high chance of skin tear and grip. It allows the fast-moving prey to be caught easier. If the Leopard Seal did not have sharp teeth to bring it down, it would starve to death, causing it to not be able to reproduce and survive.

//-Adaption 2 - Low-light Eye Capability// Seals are know for having quite large eyes. This adaptation has been caused by the large amount of time they spend underwater. Seals have flattened corneas and pupils, allowing them to open their eyes wide to let in light while swimming. Land animals eyes consist of Rods (sensory cells to help see in low light) and Corneas (sensory cells to help see colour). Seals only have Rods, therefore making them colour blind, but have excellent low-light vision. This is a very useful adaption, because colour-vision is not a necessity in the ‘black and white’ Antarctic. Without this adaption, they would have very poor eyesight, making them not the very capable hunters that they are today. They would starve a lot easier and therefore not reproduce. //-Adaption 3 - Nose Slits// Seals have slits for nostrils that naturally close under water, and close even tighter with increased water pressure. This allows them to dive incredibly deeply without the pressure affecting them. Leopard Seals can also hold their breath for a very long time, up to two hours for some. Because of a specially designed mouth and larynx, they can eat while underwater without swallowing sea-water as well. One possible reason for this is that it has allowed them to eat their prey underwater, without the extra effort of taking the prey to land. This could allow more prey to be caught and eaten in a smaller amount of time. This adaption could have occurred because of the excessive amount of time that Leopard Seals spend in the water (over half their entire life span which is about 20 years). Without this, the Leopard Seal would not be able to catch as much food and therefore not survive and reproduce.

//-Adaption 4 - Blubber// Since the environment in which they live can get below -89°C, Leopard Seals must have a way of keeping warm. A thick layer of blubber incases their body. Blubber is different from other forms of fat storing tissue because of it’s extra thickness, which allows it to serve as a productive thermal insulator, making blubber essential for thermoregulation. This adaption probably occurred to help them survive in the sub 0 temperatures of the Antarctic. If they did not have this layer of blubber, they would freeze to death and not survive in the wild.

//-Adaption 5 - Whiskers:// Leopard seals have up to 20 whiskers on either side of their snout. They can bring their whiskers forward if they need to feel for their prey in the darkness of the deep and murky waters of the Antarctic. A Leopard Seal's sensitive whiskers can feel the changes in water currents when animals move around them. This ability probably came about because of the dark waters of the Antarctic. This ability also co-insides with the low-light capability of the Leopard Seal, as stated above. This adaption allows them to hunt their prey in an furtive like manner. Without this ability, they would only be able to catch the prey that they could see, causing a larger margin for error, making the capture of the prey a lot harder. This could endanger the survival of the Leopard Seal, causing it to be unable to reproduce.



-//Environment// Leopard Seals are considered to be the strongest predators in the Antarctic. There are over 250000 Leopard seals in Antarctica. This seems small compared to the 11 million - 15 million penguins that make up the Antarctic. To hunt for penguins, they lie in wait by icy rock outcrops that line Antarctica for the first penguin to dive into the water. They are usually found around Adelie, Chinstrap or the Gentoo penguin colonies. They will move with the penguin colonies.

Antarctic is mainly home to rock and ice. What animals it does have, have to be able to deal with the severe temperatures. Whales, such as the Blue Whale and Killer Whale, are a common occurrence in the Antarctic. These, along with the Salmon Shark (only shark in the Antarctic) are the only predators of the Leopard Seal.

During the summer months, Leopard Seals are often seen laying on the top of pack ice, whilst in the winter months they are seen on Island Coasts. They can go as far north as South Africa, South America, New Zealand and even Australia.

Antarctica is the driest continent on the planet. It is a giant wasteland of rock and ice. Most of the animals that do inhabit this treacherous terrain live near the coastline, or in the ocean. During the winter months, Antarctica expands as the surrounding waters freeze over.



//Bibliography//
 * -**Discovery Communications Inc. (1999). //Tour A seal//. Retrieved June 24, 2011, from [[ [|__http://www.marineparks.wa.gov.au/fun-facts__] html| [|__http://www.marineparks.wa.gov.au/fun-factshtml__] ]]

Retrieved: 24 June 2011. < [|__http://www.elasmodiver.com/CommonStingray.htm__] >.
 * -**"Common Stingray Dasyatis Pastinaca Information and Pictures. Aka Raya Pastinaca." //Leopard Seals in the Antarctic//. Web.

Retrieved: 25 June 2011. < [|__http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hydrurga_leptonyx.html__] >.
 * -**Tunstall, Tate. "ADW:Hydrurga Leptonyx: Information." //Animal Diversity Web//. Web.

//-Leopard Seals Habitat//. Web. 24 June 2011. __.__