The Weddell Seal Weddell Seals are true seals, belonging to the group known as Phocidae. They are th

The Weddell SealWeddell Seals are true seals, belonging to the group known as Phocidae. They are the most southerly breeding mammal in the world (aside from potential humans), and they are the most well known of the Antarctic seals. They are large, reaching around 3 meters in length and weighing up to half a tonne. The Weddell Seal is a very vocal species - (they sound a little like Darth Vader to me sometimes even while standing on sea ice several meters thick, you can occasionally hear them underwater below you.They are extremely competent divers, capable of reaching depths up to about 600m and can remain underwater for up to 82 minutes. They tend to haul out on the fast ice (that is, sea ice that is attached or ‘fastened’ to land and is not affected by winds or tides). The seals may venture up to 20km out into the Southern Ocean to feed on krill, fish, squid, crustaceans and the very occasional penguin.Being rather placid and abundant, they are the most studied of the Antarctic seals. When they haul out on the ice, they remain close to their breathing holes where they can easily dive back in. As they spend most of their time on and below the fast ice, their predators are limited. Killer whales, for example, cannot make it far enough under the ice to reach them. This means that the majority of their deaths occur from disease or starvation.Weddell seals have historically been harvested for their blubber, both as a food source for humans and sled dogs and as a fuel source for past explorers.The Weddell Seal is protected under the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals which would heavily regulate any future harvest of the species, though it’s pretty unlikely for that to happen - dogs are no longer permitted in Antarctica, the seals are not very tasty (according to historic journals) and blubber is certainly not the most viable fuel source in Antarctica any more. The convention came into force in 1978 but wasn’t entirely necessary, as by that time the commercial value of seals in Antarctica was already quite low. It is unlikely that harvesting of seals will begin again in the near future.I was fortunate enough to see these two seals poke their heads up through a breathing hole on the sea ice off Ross Island in December when we were out counting them.-MJAImage credit: My own http://smu.gs/1E2hkL4Further reading:http://bit.ly/1D0d3rrhttp://bit.ly/1CrCbFthttp://on.natgeo.com/1HIKCzi -- source link

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