Leopard seal aesthetic

Freediving for octopus, mounds of shark fins and a close encounter with a leopard seal are among the judges’ selection for Oceanographic Magazine’s ocean photography awards

If your sense of adventure takes you on an Antarctic cruise, you may be lucky enough to cross paths with a leopard seal. They’re amazing creatures to observe in and out of the water, and a quintessential aspect of an Antarctic experience.

Leopard Seal. Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Leopard Seal - teeth, bigger to eat Penguins with

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Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have, for the first time, tracked the lives of leopard seals as they migrate around Antarctica. The team followed these formidable predators as they move from the frozen Antarctic sea-ice to the more northerly sub-Antarctic islands where they prey on penguins, seals and krill. The study is published this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

A leopard seal greeted @jenniferhayesig and i with loops and rolls as we rolled into explore an iceberg near Peterman Island #Antarctica. It is a gift to swim with these magnificent creatures in their world of ice in the #AntarcticPeninsula. #leopardSeal #GoToEdgeKeepGoing #RolexAmbassador @thephotosociety @the_explorers_club by daviddoubilet

Antarctica feeds my soul, senses and camera more than any other place on Earth. It is all about the wildlife, the encounters and the experiences. In 2006, I had my first interaction with the supposedly fearsome leopard seal. On that expedition, a huge female seal took me under her care for four days and constantly tried to feed me penguins. I have been in the water with hundreds of leopard seals since and I have never known the leopard seal to be anything other than inquisitive…