Weddell Seal

Fascinating facts about the Weddell Seal

• Weddell seals are capable of diving to extraordinary depths, reaching as far as 600 m and remaining submerged for up to an hour. Their diving behaviour follows a clear diel pattern, with individuals staying deeper and staying underwater longer during daylight hours than at night. This ability lets them exploit prey throughout the water column, hunting both in the open pelagic zone and along the seafloor in benthic-demersal habitats.
• While most seal species give birth to a single pup each year, female Weddell seals occasionally produce twins, a rarity among phocids. The entire birthing process is remarkably swift, lasting only one to four minutes from the first contraction to the pups' emergence. Newborns weigh between 25 and 30 kg and double their mass within the first week, gaining the rapid growth needed to survive the harsh Antarctic winter.
• During the polar night, when sunlight cannot penetrate the ice, Weddell seals rely on their highly specialised vibrissae to locate prey. Each whisker contains more than 500 nerve endings, turning the hair into a sensitive organ that can detect the minute water disturbances created by swimming fish. By sensing these wakes, the seals can accurately pinpoint and capture prey even in total darkness.
• Satellite imagery taken in November 2011 that covered the species' entire Antarctic habitat yielded an estimate of about 202,000 female Weddell seals. Because males are mostly underwater guarding territories in that month, the count reflects only females, and the overall population is larger but still second to the crabeater seal in abundance. This figure replaces earlier extrapolations that had suggested numbers near 800,000.
• When a Weddell seal slips away from a breathing hole, it quickly loses buoyancy within the first 30 to 50 m of its descent. This early negative buoyancy lets the animal glide downward with little effort, a key step that enables its famously deep dives. The seals can later reach depths of up to 600 m and remain submerged for around an hour, exploiting prey throughout the water column.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Weddell Seal

In the icy vastness of Antarctica, the Weddell seal glides effortlessly through the frigid waters, its sleek, streamlined body undulating as it navigates the dark, mysterious depths. With each powerful stroke of its flippers, it propels itself forward, a master of this frozen realm, where it can dive to astonishing depths in search of prey. As it breaks through the surface, its large, dark eyes seem to hold a deep wisdom, a testament to its remarkable adaptability in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

Seen on screen

More ocean life to discover

Browse Feravox