Spotted: leopard seal in harbour
Thu, 07/05/2007 | by matthewh | Otago Daily Times
THE Otago coastline continues to be a smorgasbord of wildlife, with leopard seals spotted in
the middle of winter.
<!----> <!---->The cruise boat Monarch stumbled upon a leopard seal just off Careys Bay in the Otago Harbour on Tuesday. .
<!----> <!---->Skipper Sean Heseltine said the leopard seal spent 20 minutes cruising around the boat, while attempting to devour a Stewart Island shag.
<!----> <!---->The eight tourists on board were fascinated to see the seal, a rare visitor to the harbour.
<!----> <!---->Mr Heseltine said they would, at best, see one leopard seal a year in the harbour, and it was very rare to see one so far up the harbour.
<!----> <!---->The creature was a juvenile about 1.5m long.
<!----> <!---->Department of Conservation marine ranger Jim Fyfe said there had been two leopard seals sighted around the Otago coast — one in the harbour and another off Warrington — over the past week. They were not the same seal, as the sightings were simultaneous but geographically distant.
<!----> <!---->Leopard seals were built for speed, with a long, slim body and large fore-flippers.
<!----> <!---->A large head, massive jaws and a tremendous gape gave the creatures a snake-like appearance.
<!----> <!---->They were usually found in Antarctic pack ice, but in winter could move throughout the Southern Ocean, occasionally ending up in New Zealand.
<!----> <!---->Mr Fyfe said it was unusual to see a leopard seal at this time of year on the Otago coast as they were more typically seen much later in winter.
<!----> <!---->They were aggressive predators, with very sharp teeth, and they chose to eat other seals and penguins.
<!----> <!---->They should not be approached in the water and people in small boats should steer clear of them. On land, they moved slower than New Zealand fur seals and sea lions.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP - Page 33
<!----> <!---->The cruise boat Monarch stumbled upon a leopard seal just off Careys Bay in the Otago Harbour on Tuesday. .
<!----> <!---->Skipper Sean Heseltine said the leopard seal spent 20 minutes cruising around the boat, while attempting to devour a Stewart Island shag.
<!----> <!---->The eight tourists on board were fascinated to see the seal, a rare visitor to the harbour.
<!----> <!---->Mr Heseltine said they would, at best, see one leopard seal a year in the harbour, and it was very rare to see one so far up the harbour.
<!----> <!---->The creature was a juvenile about 1.5m long.
<!----> <!---->Department of Conservation marine ranger Jim Fyfe said there had been two leopard seals sighted around the Otago coast — one in the harbour and another off Warrington — over the past week. They were not the same seal, as the sightings were simultaneous but geographically distant.
<!----> <!---->Leopard seals were built for speed, with a long, slim body and large fore-flippers.
<!----> <!---->A large head, massive jaws and a tremendous gape gave the creatures a snake-like appearance.
<!----> <!---->They were usually found in Antarctic pack ice, but in winter could move throughout the Southern Ocean, occasionally ending up in New Zealand.
<!----> <!---->Mr Fyfe said it was unusual to see a leopard seal at this time of year on the Otago coast as they were more typically seen much later in winter.
<!----> <!---->They were aggressive predators, with very sharp teeth, and they chose to eat other seals and penguins.
<!----> <!---->They should not be approached in the water and people in small boats should steer clear of them. On land, they moved slower than New Zealand fur seals and sea lions.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP - Page 33
Carnivore carnage . . . A leopard seal in the Otago Harbour hungry for food.
Dinner time . . . The leopard seal about to eat a Stewart Island shag.
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