Leopard seals definitely have a ferocious reputation of being an aggressive predator. Especially, if you happen to be a penguin that is foraging around the coastal waters during the summer breeding season. However, they are quite relaxed and chilled out animals when they are resting on ice floes.
We were zodiac cruising in a place called Cierva Cove, where you can quite consistently find numerous leopard seals. It was a calm morning and it wasn't long into our zodiac cruise that it began to lightly snow, which makes it all that more impressive. It wasn't that long until I noticed a long dark object on top of a small ice floe and as I approached it was quite easy to tell it was in deed a leopard seal.
This adorable young lady just continued laying there whilst staring at me, as I quietly passed her by. She did open her eyes for a moment, blinked a few times then went back to resting. A short, peaceful and memorable encounter with one of the top predators in the southern ocean.
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