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The Leopard Seal
Aug 12, 2025
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You're looking at one of the ocean's
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most fierce predators. Hi, Malcolm
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Walker here and this is my channel. You
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probably already know that sharks are
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the fiercest animals in the ocean. But
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there is one seal that can go toe-to-toe
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with the great white shark. That's
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right. This seal will gladly fight a
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shark and has even been known to win.
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It's called the leopard seal and it
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lives in the Antarctic Ocean. The
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leopard seal is why penguins huddle.
0:25
Just kidding.
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But seriously, this seal is one of the
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main reasons why penguins form those
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tight groups. If they were to be out in
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the open, they'd be an easy target for a
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leopard seal. And these seals aren't
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afraid to work hard for their food.
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They'll happily swim for hours just to
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catch a fish or, you know, a penguin.
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They've even been known to hunt other
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seals. Believe it or not, even though it
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looks like a seal, the leopard seal is
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actually more closely related to
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walruses than anything else. They're
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part of the Oda Biniday family, which
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only has two members, the walrus and the
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leopard seal. Walruses can grow up to 11
1:01
feet long and weigh over 3,000 lb. So,
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why do they have such a big size
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difference?
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Well, because they live in different
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environments. Walruses evolved to be
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bigger so they could survive in cold
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Arctic waters. Leopard seals, on the
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other hand, evolved to be smaller so
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they could be more agile in the water.
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They're basically the acrobats of the
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sea. But enough about its size. Let's
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get back to why it's so fierce. When you
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think of a seal, you probably think of a
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cute, cuddly creature that likes to play
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with tourists at the zoo. But don't be
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fooled by its looks. The leopard seal is
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a ruthless killing machine. They have
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huge paws with sharp claws that they use
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to slash and tear apart their prey. And
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don't forget about those teeth. They're
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long, sharp, and perfect for catching
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and holding on to slippery fish. To make
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matters worse, they're incredibly fast
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both on land and in water. Land, they
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can move at speeds of up to 25 mph. In
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water, they're even faster, reaching
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speeds of up to 30 mph. To put that in
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perspective, that's about as fast as a
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human could run if they had Usain Bolt
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speed. But the leopard seal doesn't need
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claws or teeth to be fierce. They also
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have one of the strongest bites of any
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mammal. Their bite force is over,300 lb
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per square in. To give you an idea of
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how strong that is, a hyena has a bite
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force of around 1,000 lb per square in.
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So, next time you see a leopard seal,
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don't be fooled by its looks. It may
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look cute, but it's one of the most
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fierce predators in the ocean. Thanks
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for watching. If you liked this video,
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don't forget to subscribe and check out
2:34
the rest of my videos. There's all sorts
2:36
of amazing animals to discover. So, what
2:39
do you think is your favorite animal?
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Let me know in the comments below. See
2:42
you later.
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