Hey everybody, today's bear is-
Wait this one isn't a bear...that's not bear like at all.
OK yeah I just wanted to talk about my 3rd favorite marine animal because like why not. Who's going to stop me :/
Its the leopard seal ! They take their name from their spotted coat of gray, white, and black fur, which resembles that of the leopard. Theyre also called sea leopard in some areas !
They're one of the few pinnipeds that regularly hunt warmblooded prey, while most seals rely heavily on fish, squid, or crustaceans, leopard seals are predators of birds and mammals
These big guys are famous for ambushing penguins at the water's edge, they often shake larger prey violently to tear it into small pieces...
Leopard seals also have long canine teeth for grabbing prey, in the back of their mouth there are specially adapted molars that can strain tiny krill from the water
That allows them to eat both large and very small prey, the younger seals stick to eating krill but the adults almost always go for birds
But ! Leopard seals aren't just penguin hunters, they have been observed preying on crabeater seal pups and even Antarctic fur seals, even sometimes being cannibalistic towards other sea leopard pups.
● I find them really cute despite how scary they always look in photos...like look at them :((
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Also what? You've been doing this for Bear species too??!
I will come back to this because this looks like a well put-together little passion project to educate the public
Thank you
Ahah I've been doing those for a week now, you should check the other ones if you want !
Oooh, don't mind if I do~♡
(But tomorrow, it's super late now, I gotta sleep )