Seals are classed as pinnipeds.
It comes from the Latin words 'Callorhinus Ursinus' meaning fin-footed.

There are about twenty million pinnipeds in the world.

Furs - Elephants - Crabeaters - Weddells - Leopards

The fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) belongs to a particular group of pinnipeds called 'otariidae', which are pinnipeds with external ears. The Antarctic Fur Seal is medium-sized compared with other fur seals. Adult males range in length from 170 to 200 cm and in weight from 90 to 200 kg. For females these ranges are 120 to 140 cm and 20 to 51 kg respectively. Pups are 60-70 cm at birth and weigh 5-6kg. The back and sides of adult fur seals are grey to brownish, with a creamy throat and chest and a dark gingery ventral. Males have manes with a lot of white hairs, which give the manes a grizzled look. Pups are very dark brown or black. Fur seals can be found on the islands south of the Antarctic Convergence and north of 65°S. The major breeding area is in South Georgia. Other breeding colonies can be found on the South Sandwich Islands, Bouvetya, South Shetland, Marion Island, Heard, McDonald Islands and possibly on Kerguelen. The Antarctic fur seal feeds mainly on krill (euphasiids), but also takes fish, squid and birds. The population is estimated at around 350,000, the majority of which are located in South Georgia.

Southern Elephant seal (Mirounga Leonina). The genus name (Mirounga) is derived from 'miouroung', a name given to these seals by Australian aboriginals, and (leonina) is Latin for ‘lion’. When they are not in the water, southern elephant seals are usually found on rocky beaches. Inhabitants of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, Southern Elephant seals, are named for their massive size and for the trunk-like noses of the males. The biggest of the Antarctic seals, these impressive mammals were heavily exploited for their oil during the 19th and early 20th centuries by sealers, who called the animals 'sea elephants'. Populations have since recovered. Southern Elephant seals have silvery-brownish skin with large square-shaped heads, strong front flippers, and flipper tails. Male Elephant seals are much larger than the females. Aside from their tremendous bulk, a distinctive feature is the inflatable trunk-like proboscis of the bull, which is fully grown by its eighth year. Swift and powerful swimmers, Southern Elephant seals are cumbersome on land, having difficulty lifting their huge bodies off the ground as they haul themselves on and off the beach. They have have few, if any predators. Prey is caught on dives up to several thousand feet deep which can last up to two hours. Elephant seals accomplish this remarkable feat by lowering their heart rates to as little as a single beat per minute. Males and females reach breeding grounds in August and September. Males then compete quite aggressively in order to establish breeding rights. Fighting amongst these mature bulls involves repeated strikes with their trunks and teeth until one or the other submits. The victorious or dominant bull then becomes 'beachmaster,' with mating rights to a 'harem' of up to 50 females. Pups are born during the Austral summer and grow incredibly quickly on their mothers' rich, 50% fat milk. By the time they're weaned in about 3 weeks, they've quadrupled their weight.

Crabeater Seal (Lobodon carcinophaga). One of the world’s most abundant large mammals, Crabeater seals' numbers have increased enormously in the last 50 years most likely due to declining whale populations. Inhabiting the shifting pack ice which surrounds the Antarctic continent, comparatively little is known about their behavior due to the difficulty of establishing scientific field stations on the ice. Crabeaters are mostly dark grey in appearance, but in summer the coat can bleach almost to white. In general, they are lighter on the bottom (their ventral side) and darker on the top (their dorsal side). Their faces are dog-like and they have characteristic chocolate-brown markings and fleckings on the shoulders, sides and flanks. Crabeaters are misnamed, since they actually eat krill, not crabs, occasionally supplementing their diet with small fish and squid. They can consume 20-25 times their body weight in a year. Crabeater pups grow very quickly and are weaned within two to three weeks having gained up to 200 pounds in weight. During this period, the male patrols a sizeable territory (up to a 150 foot radius) around his mate and pup, aggressively fending off unwelcome intruders. Skirmishes are frequent with even the females becoming combative during this time. Population is about 30 million whilst their size is 9 to 10 ft long. They can weigh upto 500 pounds.

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii). Perhaps the most well-known and 'appealing' of all the Antarctic seals, the Weddell seal lives farther south than any other mammal, inhabiting the waters of McMurdo Sound, 800 miles from the South Pole. These relatively placid animals are usually found in large groups on fast pack ice (ice attached to the continent) and can be easily approached by humans. Most of their time, however, is spent in the frigid Antarctic waters beneath several meters of ice, only emerging through cracks and blowholes to breathe, rest, and have their pups. Hunted in the past for oil, food, and skins, Weddell seal numbers are currently stable. After molting the adults' bodies are blue-black and spotted silver-grey, then fading to rust-brown. Weddell seals have whiskers (called vibrissae) which enhance their sense of touch. Females are slightly larger than males. Since Weddells use their strong teeth to chew and scrape breathing holes in the ice, extensive tooth wear occurs and is often a cause of mortality as older seals lose the ability to hunt or maintain their holes. Feeding mainly at night, Weddells dive to impressive depths in pursuit of fish, squid, and krill. By collapsing their lungs and lowering their breathing rates, they are able to stay underwater for up to an hour. In addition, Weddells have been observed blowing air bubbles into cracks under the sea ice to flush out prey. Weddell pups are born in colonies in September and October. Females give birth to one pup per year after reaching about six years of age. Weighing up to 60 pounds at birth, by the end of the nursing period (usually 6 to 8 weeks) they have gained as much as 200 pounds. Once weaned, the pups have learned to swim, hunt, and to haul themselves out of the water and are r eady to head out on their own.

Click here to see a Leopard kill! Warning: Not for the squeamish!
Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are found in Antarctic pack ice (areas of concentration of drifting ice), along the Antarctic continent and the Antarctic Peninsula and many other Islands. Leopard seals are often seen cruising offshore, hoping to pick up a penguin snack. Considered the most ferocious seal in the Antarctic, Leopard seals are the only seal to prey on other seal species. Leopard seals have a muscular, somewhat reptilian head, with a sinuous neck, highly arched back and long powerful flippers. The body is dark grey above and light grey below and they have white throats with black spots. These distinctive spots are what give the Leopard seal its name. As one might expect, Leopard seals have impressively long, sharp teeth which are well-adapted for cutting and tearing the flesh of prey. Their streamlined bodies are built for speed and power; their smooth, impermiable skin allowing them to easily slice through the water on pursuit dives. These characteristics combined with excellent sight and smell have established Leopard seals as one of the consummate predators of the Antarctic. Solitary animals, by nature, Leopard seals come on land only during the breeding season and then only in pairs or small groups. Females dig a hole in the ice early in the austral summer where they give birth to single pup after a 9 month gestation. The female protects the pups until they can take care of themselves. Leopard seals may live for 26 years or more.

Shannon Fowler
'I'm going to regret saying I sex them!'

'My research interests include diving physiology, foraging ecology, critical habitat assessment, ontogeny, conservation and management, behavior, and fisheries interactions. For my thesis, I have studied the development of diving in the threatened Australian sea lion Neophoca cinerea. The Australian sea lion is one of the few species of marine mammals in which adults regularly push their physiological limit (limit of oxygen stores) in order to forage. Given that larger animals have disproportionately greater diving capabilities, how are pups and juveniles (with smaller body size, underdeveloped oxygen storage capacities and inexperience) successfully foraging? My research addresses this question by examining diving physiology, behavior, and the locations of foraging grounds in mother/pup pairs and juveniles.'

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