Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 04:27
Forums
Seafloor Organisms and Changing Ocean Conditions in Antarctic

Hi Nell,

Do leopard seals attack divers normally? Are they hard to spot in the water? How far down do the divers go and what do they look for when they chose a sample? I love the pictures and can't wait to learn more.

Michelle

Thu, 02/23/2012 - 05:44

Nell Herrmann

Hi Michelle,Thanks for the note! There aren't many reports of leopard seals attacking divers, but it does happen. Dr. Amsler has been head butted by a leopard seal in the past and a diver at another location on the peninsula was dragged and drowned by a leopard seal. This is very unusual, but always possible so it's important to take precautions. Unlike some of the other species of seals here, leopard seals are solitary so it's very unusual to see more than one at a time. They have to surface to breathe, but they are (obviously) hard to spot when they are underwater. They have a distinct head shape; people describe them as having a snake-like head and they have a long sort of boxy muzzle. I posted a picture of one in my journal from 1-23-2012.
The divers can go as deep as 110 feet and right now they are looking for and collecting the 2 species of algae, the snails and the limpets they are studying for their ocean acidification experiment.
Take care!
-Nell