Leopard seal Facts for Kids
Hydrurga leptonyx · hy-DRER-guh LEP-tih-nix
A big spotted seal that lives around the ice of Antarctica.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 661 to 1,100 lb300 to 500 kg1
- 📏 9.8 to 12 ft3 to 3.8 m1 long
- 🎂 26 years26 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
A leopard seal is a big seal with a spotted coat. It lives around the ice of Antarctica. It eats krill, which are tiny shrimp-like animals.
Leopard seals live in the pack ice around Antarctica, and a few visit nearby islands in winter. Their main food is krill, tiny shrimp-like animals, and they also eat squid and penguins.
The leopard seal lives in the pack ice that floats around Antarctica, and small numbers visit nearby islands, mostly in winter. Its main food is krill, tiny shrimp-like animals that it strains from the water with its special teeth. It also eats squid and penguins. A female is bigger than a male, and in the wild a leopard seal can live for many years.
How big is a leopard seal?
Leopard seal in numbers
| Length | 9.8 to 12 ft3 to 3.8 m1up to; males and females |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 661 to 1,100 lb300 to 500 kg1males about 300, females up to 500 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 26 years26 years1typical; some live up to 30 in the wild |
| What it eats | krill, squid and penguins |
| Where it lives | the pack ice around Antarctica and nearby islands |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A leopard seal strains krill from the water with its teeth.
- Female leopard seals are bigger than males.
- It lives in the pack ice around Antarctica.
Compare the leopard seal
Friends and neighbours
Emperor penguin
Walrus
Harbor sealThree questions
Books about the leopard seal, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the leopard seal for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Hydrurga leptonyx (leopard seal), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Leopard seal (Q186663), checked 30 October 2026.