Leopard seal

Leopard seal; Temporal range: Early Pliocene – Recent
	At the Antarctic Sound, near Brown Bluff, Tabarin Peninsula
	Size compared to a 1.82 m (6ft) human
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Phocidae
Subfamily:	Monachinae
Tribe:	Lobodontini
Genus:	Hydrurga; Gistel, 1848
Species:	H. leptonyx
Binomial name
	Hydrurga leptonyx; (Blainville, 1820)
	Hydrurga leptonyx range map
Synonyms
	homei (Lesson, 1828); leptonyz (de Blainville, 1820);

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard,^[3] is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Its only natural predator is the orca.^[4] It feeds on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, fish, and birds, particularly penguins. It is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. Its closest relatives are the Ross seal, the crabeater seal and the Weddell seal, which together are known as the tribe of Lobodontini seals.^[5]^[6] The name hydrurga means "water worker" and leptonyx is the Greek for "thin-clawed".

^ Wilson, Don E.; Seeder, Dee Ann M., eds. (2005). "Species: Hydrurga leptonyx". Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.
^ Hückstädt, L. (2015). "Hydrurga leptonyx". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T10340A45226422. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T10340A45226422.en. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ "Leopard seal". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1998.
^ Cite error: The named reference Aus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. (2005). "Family: Phocidae". Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.
^ Berta, Annalisa (2009). "Pinnipedia: Overview". In Perrin, W. F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J. G. M. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 878–85. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9.

[MSW-1] Wilson, Don E.; Seeder, Dee Ann M., eds. (2005). "Species: Hydrurga leptonyx". Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

[iucn-2] Hückstädt, L. (2015). "Hydrurga leptonyx". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T10340A45226422. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T10340A45226422.en. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[3] "Leopard seal". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1998.

[Aus-4] Cite error: The named reference Aus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Phocidae-5] Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. (2005). "Family: Phocidae". Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

[6] Berta, Annalisa (2009). "Pinnipedia: Overview". In Perrin, W. F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J. G. M. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 878–85. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9.

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Leopard seal

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