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ANTARCTICA:
Animals and plants
1. WEDDELL SEAL:
Unlike most animals, the males are generally smaller than the females. The newborns have a coat of long hair which they shed within the first month, and is replaced by blubber.
2. LEOPARD SEAL:
These seal is a fierce predator, as it's prey consists of mostly Antarctic penguins. It can leap up onto ice and grab them in one slick motion, then sliding back into the sea after having successfully mouthed it's prey. They also eat krill, fish and occasionally squid. They use their fore flippers to help them swim.
3. CRABEATER SEAL:
These seals mostly feed on Antarcic krill. They have lobed teeth to help them sieve the krill out of the water. This type of seal can dive as deep as 150 metres for up to 10 minutes.
Seals:
In Antarctica there are six main seal species, all with different features and characteristics.
4. ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL:
These seals can weigh up to 210 kilograms and be up to 2 metres long. They are the only eared seal in Antarctica. They are also quite aggressive. They eat mosly krill, but sometimes eat fish and squid. Their life span is approximately 20 years.
5. SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL:
The male seals grow a long curved nose by the age of 3. They shed coats every Autumn. They can weigh from 2000 to 5000 kilograms (up to 5 tonnes). They can live up to 23 years and they eat mostly fish and squid.
6. ROSS SEAL:
These seals can weigh up to 215kg and be up to 3 metres long. They have especially large eyes, and are a dark grey/brown colour. They feed on mostly fish, krill and squid.
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