When I am asked to think about my favorite marine animals, many different species come to mind. When I think of my number one favorite, I am led to think none other than the world-famous leopard seal. A leopard seal, scientifically known as the Hydrargyria leptonyxm, is the second largest species of seal in Antarctica. The largest species of seal is the Southern Elephant Seal. Leopard seals are apex predators in Antarctica and only have one natural predator, the Orca, also known as the killer whale. A fully-grown leopard seal can grow 3 meters and weigh about 350kg. Leopard seals generally eat things such as squid, fish, krill are main sources of food for young, but as they get older, they can eat things such as king, adelie, rockhopper, gentoo, emperor and chinstrap penguins. The reason in why I became so interested in these creatures stems from when I was much younger. The movie Happy Feet brought me joy when being able to see these creatures in an animated film. As a young boy, carnivorous creatures always caught my eye. Ever since then, I was able to find this love for Leopard Seals as my favorite. There is a huge problem surrounding not only the Leopard Seal but also other forms of life in Antarctica. This issue is caused by the global climate change. Due to this, Glaciers are beginning to melt, giving the seals no resting habitat and a place to sleep. Although Leopard seals spend a lot of time in the ocean, they also need land to be able to nest and survive. It is up to us to make sure that my favorite animal can live and thrive within their own environment, but because of pollution and greenhouses gases this may not be the case.
LETS TAKE A STAND,
LETS REDUCE OUR GREENHOUSE GASES,
AND ALLOW THE LEOPARD SEAL TO LIVE HAPPY!
By: Nykell Jones
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