Weddell seal

웨델해물범

A seal that lives farther south than any other mammal, on fast ice along Antarctic coasts. It keeps breathing holes open with its teeth and can dive for nearly an hour. Its round face looks like it is smiling.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Fast ice of the Ross Sea coast, Antarctica
Diet: Fish eater
Weight: about 500 kg
Length: about 3 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: polar regions

Quick answers

Where does the Weddell seal live?

It lives in polar regions of the Southern Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Fast ice of the Ross Sea coast, Antarctica.

How big is the Weddell seal?

It grows to about 3 m and 500 kg.

What does the Weddell seal eat?

Its diet: fish eater.

Is the Weddell seal endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The Weddell seal lives farther south than any other mammal, along the fast ice that clings to the coasts of Antarctica. It is a big, bulky true seal, about 2.5 to 3.5 metres long and weighing 400 to 600 kilograms. Its short mouth line and whiskers give its face a cat-like, smiling look.

It was named after the British sealing captain James Weddell, who explored the area in the 1820s. Because it lives near Antarctic bases, it is one of the best-studied seals. Because it lives next to Antarctic bases, researchers can follow individuals through their whole lives. Its home is among the most extreme places on Earth for a mammal.

How does it live under the ice?

The seal dives beneath the sea ice to hunt. To get back to air it needs holes in the ice, and the card says it keeps breathing holes open by scraping the ice with its teeth. It can stay underwater for close to an hour.

Its coat is bluish-black to dark grey on the back and pale on the belly, and fades to a duller colour with age. Males tend to be a little lighter than females, even though they are about the same length.

Pups

Pups are born around half the length of their mother and weigh 25 to 30 kilograms. They gain about 2 kilograms a day, and by six or seven weeks old they can weigh about 100 kilograms.

A pup moults its soft first fur after three to four weeks. Its quick growth on rich mother's milk helps pups survive the harsh cold.

Fun facts

It keeps breathing holes open in the sea ice by scraping the ice with its teeth.
It lives farther south than any other mammal.
Pups gain about 2 kilograms every day.
Its face looks like a smiling cat.