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What the sources say

Leopard SealHydrurga leptonyx

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Leopard Seal profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 40 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Australian Antarctic Division

Leopard seal. Australian Antarctic Division.

The page sayshas a slender body, long fore-flippers and a large head
The source saysthe body is slender and the fore-flippers long. The head is large
The page saysIts jaws open wide to show exceptionally long canines and sharp, complex molars
The source saysthe jaws open widely revealing exceptionally long canines and unusually complex sharply pointed molars
The page saysLarge females may exceed 3.5 meters in length and weigh over 500 kilograms.
The source saysLarge females may reach lengths in excess of 3.5 m and weigh over 500 kg.
The page saysLeopard seals may live for 26 years or more.
The source saysLeopard seals may live for 26 years or more.
The page saysthe same trick crabeater seals use
The source saysLike the crabeater seals, leopard seals have unusual teeth for straining krill from the water.
The page saysThey also eat fish, squid and the pups of other seals, including crabeater, Weddell and southern fur seals.
The source saysincluding penguins, fish, squid, and crustaceans... They also eat the pups of other seal species including crabeater, Weddell and southern fur seals.
The page saysLeopard seals live around the pack ice that rings Antarctica, but they may be the greatest wanderers of any Antarctic seal
The source saysLeopard seals are solitary animals that inhabit pack-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent. They are perhaps the greatest wanderers of the Antarctic seals
The page saysin Tasmania, and even as far north as the Great Barrier Reef's Heron Island
The source sayswith sightings in Tasmania and a northern record at Heron Island. Heron Island is a subtropical island in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef
The page saysThe Australian Antarctic Division names the killer whale as the leopard seal's only natural predator.
The source saysThe only natural predator of leopard seals is the killer whale.
The page saysMost live in the pack ice around the Antarctic continent, but there have been sightings in Tasmania and a northern record at Heron Island, a subtropical island in the southern Great Barrier Reef.
The source saysinhabit pack-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent. They are perhaps the greatest wanderers of the Antarctic seals with sightings in Tasmania and a northern record at Heron Island. Heron Island is a subtropical island in the southern part of the Great Barrier ReefNote: 'Most' matches doc-nz-leopard-seal: 'Found in: Mostly in Antarctica, but small numbers can be found in NZ year-round'
The page saysAntarctic pack ice, with wandering individuals reaching subantarctic islands, Tasmania and New Zealand
The source saysThey are perhaps the greatest wanderers of the Antarctic seals with sightings in TasmaniaNote: habitat line aggregates the range claims already quoted above (subantarctic islands: adw-leopard-seal; New Zealand: doc-nz-leopard-seal)
The page saysKrill, penguins, fish, squid, and the pups of other seals
The source saysLeopard seals eat almost anything, including penguins, fish, squid, and crustaceans. Like the crabeater seals, leopard seals have unusual teeth for straining krill from the water. They also eat the pups of other seal speciesNote: a list of prey, not a claim of completeness; the source's 'almost anything' is why the list is not closed with 'only'
The page saysteeth that double as krill sieves
The source saysleopard seals have unusual teeth for straining krill from the waterNote: 'double as' because the same seal also eats penguins, fish, squid and seal pups (claims above)
The page saysweightKg: 370
The source saysMales (2.8 m; 320 kg) are generally slightly smaller than females (3.0 m; 370 kg).Note: Heavy class either way: Kienle et al. 2022 measured 302 (males) to 454 kg (females).
The page saystags: antarctic
The source saysLeopard seals are solitary animals that inhabit pack-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent.

Source
02

New Zealand Department of Conservation

Leopard seal. New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The page saysNew Zealand's Department of Conservation says the big head, massive jaws and tremendous gape give it a snake-like appearance.
The source saysThe leopard seal's disproportionately large head, massive jaws, impressive teeth and tremendous gape give it a snake-like appearance.
The page saysleopard seals frequent ice floes and waters next to Adélie penguin colonies, catching penguins after underwater chases or as the birds fall back into the water after missing their footing on the ice
The source saysLeopard seals frequent ice-floes and waters adjacent to Adelie penguin rookeries and are adept at catching penguins after underwater pursuits or as they fall back into the water after missing their footing on the ice.
The page saysThe seal grips a penguin's skin with its incisor teeth and shakes the bird until the skin tears away.
The source saysPenguins are skinned by the seal gripping the skin with its incisor teeth and shaking the bird until the skin tears away.
The page saysSome individuals have been known to spend a year or more at a stretch in New Zealand waters.
The source saysSome animals have been known to spend a year or more continuously in New Zealand waters.
The page saysAttacks on people are rare, but one, on a researcher snorkelling in Antarctic waters, was fatal.
The source saysAlthough rare, there are a few records of adult leopard seals attacking humans. There has also been one fatality, when a researcher was snorkelling in Antarctic waters and was killed by a leopard seal.
The page saysNew Zealand's Department of Conservation knows of a few attacks on people by adult leopard seals, and of one death: a researcher killed while snorkelling in Antarctic waters.
The source saysAlthough rare, there are a few records of adult leopard seals attacking humans. There has also been one fatality, when a researcher was snorkelling in Antarctic waters and was killed by a leopard seal.
The page saysincisors that grip a penguin by the skin
The source saysPenguins are skinned by the seal gripping the skin with its incisor teeth
The page saysCold, mechanical brutality, for a seal that grips a penguin's skin with its incisors and shakes the bird until the skin tears away.
The source saysPenguins are skinned by the seal gripping the skin with its incisor teeth and shaking the bird until the skin tears away.
The page saysdangerLevel: Deadly
The source saysThere has also been one fatality, when a researcher was snorkelling in Antarctic waters and was killed by a leopard seal.

Source
03

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Hydrurga leptonyx (leopard seal). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysThey use their lobodont teeth to filter krill out of the water
The source saysusing their lobodont teeth to filter these small crustaceans from the water
The page saysSightings turn up on subantarctic islands
The source sayssmall numbers can be found just beyond the pack ice on the nearby subantarctic islands year-round
The page saysThey're the teeth a leopard seal uses to filter krill, small crustaceans, out of the water.
The source saysLeopard seals feed primarily on krill, using their lobodont teeth to filter these small crustaceans from the water.
The page saysThe same seal also hunts penguins, young crabeater seals and squid.
The source saysleopard seals are also aggressive apex predators eating penguins, young crabeater seals, and squid
The page saysLobodont teeth that filter krill
The source saysusing their lobodont teeth to filter these small crustaceans from the water

Source
04

Hiruki, Schwartz & Boveng 1999

Hiruki, Schwartz & Boveng (1999). Hunting and social behaviour of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) at Seal Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Journal of Zoology.

The page saysjust one or two seals a year were responsible for an average of 60 percent of the observed fur seal pup captures, with hunting style and success varying seal to seal
The source saysindividuals showed different hunting styles and hunting success. One to two leopard seals per year were responsible for an average of 60% of observed captures of fur seal pups.

Source
05

Kienle et al. 2022

Kienle et al. (2022). Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal. Frontiers in Marine Science.

The page saysAmong 22 leopard seals tagged off the Western Antarctic Peninsula, adult females averaged 454 kilograms and adult males 302 kilograms.
The source saysSatellite/GPS tags and time-depth recorders were deployed on 22 leopard seals off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Adult female leopard seals were significantly larger (454±59 kg) and longer (302±11 cm) than adult males (302±22 kg, 276±11 cm).Note: means of the tagged adults, rounded from 454±59 kg and 302±22 kg
The page saysWith females 50 percent larger than males, leopard seals are one of the most extreme cases among marine mammals of females outsizing males.
The source saysAs females were 50% larger than their male counterparts, leopard seals are therefore one of the most extreme examples of female-biased sexual size dimorphism in marine mammals.
The page saysLeopard seals are generalist predators.
The source saysLeopard seals are generalist predators, consuming a wide range of prey that includes krill, fish, cephalopods, seabirds, and even other pinnipeds
The page saysa 2022 study describes them as both krill predators and apex predators
The source saysAs both krill predators and apex predatorsNote: 2022 is the study's publication year (Kienle et al. 2022, the cited reference)
The page saysA 2022 tagging study off the Western Antarctic Peninsula recorded one leopard seal diving to 1,256 meters for 25 minutes
The source saysFour of our study seals exceeded that previous record, with one leopard seal diving to 1,256 meters. On the 1,256 m dive, this seal also had the longest reported dive duration of 25 minutesNote: 2022 is the publication year of the cited study; the tagging was off the Western Antarctic Peninsula per the abstract: 'deployed on 22 leopard seals off the Western Antarctic Peninsula'
The page saysbefore it, the deepest known leopard seal dive was 425 meters
The source saysPreviously, the deepest dive for a leopard seal was 425 mNote: 'before it' paraphrases the source's 'Previously'
The page saysseals tagged off the Western Antarctic Peninsula averaged dives of about 3 minutes to 29 meters
The source saysOverall, leopard seals were short (3.0±0.7 min) and shallow (29±8 m) divers.
The page saysOne of them, though, went to 1,256 meters and stayed under for 25 minutes, the deepest and longest dive that study's authors knew of for the species.
The source saysOur study dramatically increases the maximum dive depth and duration reported for the species. Previously, the deepest dive for a leopard seal was 425 m ( Kuhn et al., 2006 ). Four of our study seals exceeded that previous record, with one leopard seal diving to 1,256 meters. On the 1,256 m dive, this seal also had the longest reported dive duration of 25 minutes
The page saysapex hunter of Antarctic pack ice with a reptilian gape
The source saysleopard seals, an ice-associated apex predatorNote: 'reptilian gape' paraphrases doc-nz-leopard-seal: 'tremendous gape give it a snake-like appearance'; 'krill sieves' is claim 9 (lobodont teeth filter krill)

Source
06

Borras-Chavez & Hückstädt 2026

Borras-Chavez & Hückstädt (2026). Hydrurga leptonyx. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T10340A95969074.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.