SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 105 



on the back. The underparts are creamy white with black spots, 

 especially about the tail and head. The male is ten feet or more 

 in length, the female about seven feet. This animal resembles 

 its namesake, the leopard, not only in its spotting but in its 

 disposition. It is the fiercest of the seals and, preferring warm- 

 blooded prey, feeds chiefly on penguins and other seals. The 

 leopard seal is found throughout much of the Antarctic and 

 during the winter as far north as the waters of southern Aus- 

 tralia and New Zealand. 



The Crab-eating Seal (Lohodon carcinophagus) is a slender 

 animal reaching a length of nine feet. During the southern 

 summer it is brownish gray, with some spotting along the sides 

 but in winter the coat becomes creamy white. The teeth chiefly 

 distinguish it; unlike those of other seals, they have several 

 lobes which, when the jaws are closed, form a sieve. Water 

 passes through but small crustaceans and other small sea ani- 

 mals, the chief food of this seal, are retained and swallowed. 

 During the winter the crab-eaters come as far north as southern 

 Australia. 



WeddelFs Seal {Leptonychotes weddelli) is common in Ant- 

 arctica, and on rare occasions strays as far north as New Zea- 

 land. A specimen was once taken along the coast of southern 

 Australia. It is a large seal reaching a length of nine feet, and 

 is dark gray marked with blotches and spots of yellowish white. 

 Its teeth are simple and peg-like. 



The Southern Elephant Seal (Macrorhinus leonina) was 

 formerly found on many of the islands of the south Atlantic, 

 Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic Oceans and at one time as far 

 north as Juan Fernandez. It has been slaughtered so persist- 

 ently for its oil that only a pitiful remnant of the great herds 

 of other years remains. Males may reach a length of twenty 

 feet. Elephant seals get their name not only from their great 

 size but also from the long inflatable probosces of the males. 



The Hawaiian Seal (Monachus schaunslandi) is one of the 

 monk seals; its relatives are found only in the Mediterranean 



