Leopard seal: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the leopard seal lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Hydrurga leptonyx
Group	Seals, sea lions & walrus
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	Africa, Antarctica, Oceania
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Phocidae

Where does the leopard seal live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the leopard seal in 6 countries and territories across Africa, Antarctica and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the leopard seal endangered?

The leopard seal’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the leopard seal?

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Phocidae, genus Hydrurga. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the leopard seal

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is a long and muscular seal native to the Southern Ocean of Antarctica and southern Patagonia. It is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It is the same length as, but half the weight of, a walrus. Its fur coat is countershaded, being silver on the bottom and dark gray on the top, and is distinctive for its leopard-like pattern of dark spots.

The leopard seal is an apex predator, with massive jaws, and teeth which are 2.5 cm (1 in) long. It feeds on a wide range of prey including its fellow pinnipeds, cephalopods, krill, fish, and birds, particularly penguins. Its only natural predator is the orca. It uses its hearing and whiskers to track prey underwater.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Leopard seal (revision 1381338413), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q186663 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).