Some species of seal, such as the Leopard Seal, actively hunt for food. They have been known to eat penguins and other marine life. This is one of the most dangerous of all seal species, with powerful jaws and sharp teeth to contend with.
Elephant seals are also very large creatures, the biggest of all at over 20 feet long and tares of up to 4 tons. Elephant seals were hunted nearly to the point of extinction--not because of their fur but because of their oil rich blubber. Today, their numbers exceed 100,000 animals. Although the species is found in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, its commonest grounds are the Antarctic and Sub Antarctic islands. The Elephant Seal can inflate its snout like a balloon, similar to an elephant. The Elephant Seal mainly eats squid, octopus and fish. This breed of seal has a temper to it and older males often have serious fights until one of them gives in and breaks off hostilities. The winner will be acclaimed as the better fighter and the two will not fight again. The powerful nature of the Elephant Seal leaves it with few natural enemies except for the killer whale.
By comparison, the Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) is quite a tame animal. These animals have excellent vision and are capable of seeing in almost total darkness, as well as being capable of diving to great depths. They are black, grey and white and some have light spots. Another large seal, the Weddell Seal may reach 800 pounds and as much as 10 feet long. So tame is this breed that when approached it does not always try to escape. Weddell Seals live along the Antarctic coastline but in winter spend most of their time swimming under the ice as the water is warmer that the air. Weddells are capable of being submerged for periods exceeding 90 minutes. Weddells give birth to their pups on the shore, and their milk is the richest of any mammal.
Weddells are excellent swimmers, and where thick ice is present are even capable of eluding killer whales. And like the whales, the Weddells have developed a type of sonar to look for food. Seals--Antarctica's leading citizens!
Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) are particularly numerous in Arctic and Antarctic regions. This is because these seas support sufficient sea life to satisfy the whales' huge appetite for food. Scientists believe that the Killer Whale is descended from a now extinct land based mammal which returned to the sea 55-65 million years ago. Killer Whales have a reputation for ferocity, which is true but probably not to the point it is taken today. Killer Whales are known to feed on anything in the water, be it other whales, seals, dolphins, squid or penguins--often attacking in packs and harassing the larger animals or working as a team to incapacitate the prey and then moving in for the kill. Even in early times, whalers had a problem with the whales looting whale bits from the harvested whales on the side of the ship or towboat. The whales seem to take great interest in anything in the water which might be edible. If shot by a whaler, the other whales would likely turn on the injured whale and make him the dinner.
Adult whales can reach 15 to 30 feet in length with distinctive black and white markings. Killer Whales travel in pods with females the dominant gender. Whale calves gestate for about 17 months, and weigh over 300 pounds at birth. Their length is usually 7 to 8 feet. Full size adults usually weigh in the 8000 pound range, although Killer Whales over 20,000 pounds have been recorded. Whale calves may be fed by the mother for up to a year with high fat milk. This milk allows the baby to quickly develop a layer of blubber. The baby whale also learns to make whale songs which allow communication between the other whales in the pod. This whale speech is believed to be learned, and that the whales do not automatically know the dialect from birth. Furthermore, it seems these whale songs are not standardized, and the calls that one pod makes and uses bear no resemblance to the calls a very distant pod may have developed. Whales' hearing is highly developed and is probably the most important sense for a whale, particularly its use in "echolocation", an area of study which scientists believe allows the whale to determine through the signal received the type, distance, and direction of the other marine life and the other whales in the pod.
Killer Whales are the top predators in the sea. In Antarctic regions, about two-thirds of the whales' diet consists of fish, the balance being other marine animals. A whale may consume 3-4 percent of its body weight every day. Killer Whales have no sense of smell but have excellent vision both in and out of the water. Killer Whales are thought to live for 25 to 35 years, at which time due to age they become targets for sharks and cannot properly defend themselves. Researchers also believe that nearly 50 percent of newborn whale calves die before their first year is up.
The Killer Whales are not an endangered species, and the population of Antarctic Killer Whales is thought to be in excess of 180,000. Killer Whales--an important Part of the Antarctic food chain.
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