Weddell seal: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Weddell seal lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Leptonychotes weddellii
Group	Seals, sea lions & walrus
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Antarctica
Diet (main food)	fish
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Phocidae

Where does the Weddell seal live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Weddell seal in 1 country or territory across Antarctica. Wikidata gives its range as: Southern Ocean.

Antarctica

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.

What does a Weddell seal eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the Weddell seal as: fish.

Is the Weddell seal endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the Weddell seal?

The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Phocidae, genus Leptonychotes. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Weddell seal

The Weddell seal (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. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases. It is the only species in the genus Leptonychotes.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Weddell seal (revision 1376506506), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q313166 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).