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LEOPARD SEALS
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Leopard seals are apex predators in the Antarctic, sitting near the top of the food chain. By hunting a wide variety of animals—like fish, krill, penguins, and even smaller seals—they help keep the ecosystem in balance. Their foraging decisions affect many other species in the area, creating a ripple effect throughout the food web. Because they rely on certain environmental conditions like ice cover and food availability, leopard seals also act as an important indicator of changes in the Antarctic environment.
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In the winter and spring months, both male and female leopard seals in the Western Antarctic Peninsula heavily rely on krill for food. During this time, other animals that they could normally hunt are harder to find, so krill becomes a main source of food. Even in the summer, when larger prey is more abundant, adult female leopard seals—known for hunting bigger animals—still eat a significant amount of krill, making up about 22–27% of their total diet.
KRILL FISHING IMPACT
In 1973, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) divided the waters surrounding Antarctica into zones, or "Statistical Areas", in an effort to regulate the exploitation by a growing commercial krill fishing industry.
RECORD HIGHS
Each Statistical Area is further divided into smaller "Subareas," allowing for more precise monitoring of harvesting rates.
Catches within Statistical Area 48 have reached record highs, with almost 500,000 tonnes caught last year—a 2,172% increase from the 22,000 tonnes caught in 1974. Almost 32% of that is sourced from the concentrated fishing waters near Cape Shirreff located in Subarea 48.1.
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Leopard seals have specialized teeth uniquely adapted to filter krill from the water.
Krill also serve as a primary food source for many other species that leopard seals depend on for prey, including penguins.
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metric tons of ice lost per year in Antarctica
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2002
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As global temperatures continue to rise, the sea ice around Antarctica diminishes each year, drastically altering the region's ecosystem.
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For leopard seals, sea ice is an essential habitat, providing resting platforms, safe haul-out sites for molting, and critical access to prey such as penguins, fish and krill. The shrinking ice reduces these vital resources, forcing leopard seals to adapt to an increasingly unstable environment.
Bio-logging is a powerful tool in wildlife research, allowing scientists to attach small, non-invasive devices to animals to record data such as movement, behavior, physiological parameters, and environmental conditions. By equipping animals with electronic sensors, we can gain insights into how they interact with their habitats and respond to changing environments.
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GPS trackers collect location data on seals by receiving signals from satellites to determine the animal's precise position, including latitude and longitude. This technology helps us monitor movement patterns, habitat use, and how seals distribute themselves in their environment.
Thermal sensors measure and record the water temperature as the animal dives and moves through its environment. This technology provides valuable insights into the thermal conditions seals experience, helping us understand their habitat preferences and the oceanographic features influencing their behavior.
Wet/dry sensors on detect whether the animal is in water,
land, or ice by measuring conductivity or moisture levels.
This technology helps us track dive behavior, haul-out patterns, and
time spent in different environments, offering information into the seal's activity and habitat use.
Tri-axial accelerometers measure the animal's movements across three dimensions—forward, sideways, and vertical. This technology captures detailed information about swimming behavior, energy expenditure, and fine-scale activity patterns, providing data into how seals interact with their environment and adapt to changing conditions.
Magnetometers measure the Earth's magnetic field across three axes, helping to determine the animal's orientation and direction of movement. This technology provides us insights into navigation strategies, spatial orientation, and how seals move through their environment.
Pressure sensors measure the water pressure surrounding the animal, allowing us to accurately calculate dive depth. This technology provides details into diving behavior, foraging strategies, and how seals utilize the vertical dimension of their aquatic environment.
Paddle wheel sensors on seal tags measure water flow over the sensor, providing estimates of the animal's swimming speed. This technology allows us to explore their locomotion, energy costs, foraging habits, and how seals travel through varying ocean currents and environments.
Light sensors measure ambient light levels in the animal's environment. This technology helps us monitor diel activity patterns, characterize potential migration patterns of seals, and estimate vertical position since light levels vary significantly with changes in the water column.
The ecology of leopard seals remains poorly understood, primarily due to the limited amount of research conducted on them.
Our research not only deepens our understanding of them, but also helps to address broader ecological questions concerning the impacts of human pressures on marine food webs.
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