Trivia question for Jan-30-2011

Today’s trivia is complements of Carter.  He loves the smile on these fierce animals.

This is the fierce Leopard Seal.  They are the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the Southern Elephant Seal). It is most common in the southern hemisphere along the coast of Antarctica and on most sub-Antarctic islands.

Although it is a true seal and swims with its hind limbs, it has powerful and highly developed forelimbs similar to sea lions, giving it a similar maneuverability. The leopard seal has an unusually loose jaw that can open more than 160 degrees allowing it to bite larger prey.

Like most carnivores, its front teeth are sharp, but its molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water, similar to the Crabeater seal.  So here’s our questions:

Can you tell us how far North these guys have been know to travel in search of food during the winter?  And also, tell us what it’s only serious (non-human) predator is?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Simone and Natalie for both getting the answers correct.  The leopard seal have been know to occasionally travel as far north as the Cook Islands during the winter.  Most are sighted off the coast of South America, South Africa, and sometimes off the coast of Australia.

They main predator is the Orca (Killer Whale) and occasionally a large shark.  They are not considered endangered but they do suffer from overfishing of Krill.  Attacks on humans are rare with only one fatality reported to date.  Here is more on these smiling beasts:  Leopard Seal

Thanks for playing along 😉