An extreme wandering leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, at Pitcairn Island, central South Pacific
Citation
Stewart B S, Grove J S (2024). An extreme wandering leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, at Pitcairn Island, central South Pacific. Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Node. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/kw9evx accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-11.Description
Leopard seals are distributed around the Antarctic continent principally between 50°S and 80°S though they are known to wander even farther north, particularly to Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa, and several sub-Antarctic Islands. Seasonal movements of leopard seals have been correlated with seasonal changes in the distribution of sea ice with seals moving north as sea ice develops in spring and winter and southward toward the Antarctic continent as it melts in late autumn and winter. On August 9, 2013, an emaciated juvenile male leopard seal was observed swimming in Bounty Bay at Pitcairn Island (25°4′S, 130°6′W). It was found ashore at a boat ramp in the bay the next day. Because of the seal’s apparent distress, it was promptly shot and killed humanely by an island police officer and then dumped at sea before any measurements or additional observations could be made. We estimated the seal to be a 10-month-old pup, about 1.8–2 m long. The appearance of this leopard seal at Pitcairn Island is only slightly farther south than the most northern record (the Cook Islands, 21°25′S, 159°8′W) for the species, but it is the most remote occurrence yet documented worldwide and correlates with the all-time record for sea ice coverage in the Antarctic in winter 2013.Additional info
marine, harvested by iOBISTaxonomic Coverages
Leopard Seal
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Hydrurga leptonyxcommon name: Leopard Seal rank: species
Geographic Coverages
Pitcairn Island
Bibliographic Citations
- Stewart, B.S., Grove, J.S. An extreme wandering leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, at Pitcairn Island, central South Pacific. Polar Biol 37, 423–425 (2014). - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1447-4
Contacts
Brent S. Stewartoriginator
position: Author
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
2595 Ingraham Street
San Diego
92109
California
US
Jack S. Grove
originator
position: Author
ZEGRAHM Expeditions
166 Peace Road
Tavernier
33070
Florida
US
Brent S. Stewart
metadata author
position: Author
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
2595 Ingraham Street
San Diego
92109
California
US
Kevin Mackay
user
email: kevin.mackay@niwa.co.nz
Brent S. Stewart
administrative point of contact
position: Author
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
2595 Ingraham Street
San Diego
92109
California
US