Researchers measured the amount of nitrogen and carbon in the whiskers, which tells them the kinds of animals the leopard ...

Individual leopard seals specialize in specific prey types despite being generalist species, reshaping ecosystem dynamics.

On one island off the Western Antarctic Peninsula, leopard seals eat as many as 70% of Antarctic fur seal pups each year, severely impacting their declining population, researchers said.

On one island off the Western Antarctic Peninsula, leopard seals eat as many as 70% of Antarctic fur seal pups each year, severely impacting their declining population, researchers said.

A leopard seal on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, on Jan. 27, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS ...

On one island off the Western Antarctic Peninsula, leopard seals eat as many as 70% of Antarctic fur seal pups each year, severely impacting their declining population, researchers said.

A study at Cape Shirreff finds most leopard seals specialize in prey, showing unique feeding habits that influence Antarctic food chains and ecosystems.

In total, 87% of the leopard seals were what researchers called “specialists or intermediates,” meaning they stuck to a smaller selection of prey than they were capable of eating, while only ...