Leopard Seal Kills Antarctic Scientist

[zakur]

Inquiry into fatal leopard seal attack begins

The British Antarctic Survey has launched an investigation following a fatal attack on a marine scientist by a leopard seal.

Kirsty Brown, 28, was snorkelling about 25 metres from the shore near Rothera base when she was suddenly dragged under the surface. The shore cover team immediately called in a rescue boat, which reached the scene within 10 minutes, but the station doctor was unable to revive her.

[...]

Rare attacks by the large and fierce-looking seals have been reported. In 1985, Scottish explorer Gareth Wood was bitten twice on the leg as a seal tried to drag him off the ice into the water. Wood's companions beat off the seal by repeatedly kicking it with the spiked crampons on their boots. Ernest Shackleton's record of his 1914-16 Antarctic expedition also records an attempted attack.

[...]

Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are large but slender seals, with big heads and jaws that give them a frightening, dinosaur-like appearance. They can be up to 3.4 metres (12 feet) long and weigh over 500 kilograms.

They are clumsy on land, but can swim at speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph). Their main source of food is krill, but they also frequently eat smaller seals. Penguins and fish are less common prey. They are the only seals to regularly eat other seals and penguins.

 

[zakur]

Here's a picture of one lunching on a penguin:

 

[Yahweh]

If seals were at all intelligent, they'd kill the sealclubbers and not the scientists... idiot seals...

 

[Aoidoi]

Oooh, arcticpenguin won't want to see that second pic! (which is, of course, why I'm bumping it)

 

[jimlintott]

Wild critters sometimes bite. I'm amazed at what some peole think. While driving through Jaspar National Park you see all kinds of critters at the road side. I have seen many tourists getting very close to a bull elk to get a picture. They seem totally oblivious to the fact the bull is in a defensive posture in front of the cow and the calf a few metres behind him. They have no idea how risky this is.

Of course this sceintist was probably quite well aware of the potential danger. Those seals look pretty nasty.

 

[Dancing David]

Sad sad sad, remind me of dan Akaroyd and 'the sign didn't say "Don't feed the bear marshmallows with your teeth" '

have to wonder what triggered the seals response, I am sure the diver knew what they were doing.

 

[arcticpenguin]

"It was God's will."

I recall a story from a couple years ago about an unusual hybrid sea lion along the west coast of the USA. He was trying to mate with females of a much smaller species and drowned quite a few of them in the process.

 

[Skat Bo]

Did it manage to get some kids, or did it give up after drowning a few?

 

[bjornart]

If seals were at all intelligent, they'd kill the sealclubbers and not the scientists... idiot seals...

The leopard seals are in the Antarctic, there are no sealclubbers there. Besides, you club seals when they are on land.