- Description
- Additional information
Description
Weddell Seal Skull replica measures 11 inches. Weddell Seal Skull replica is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.
The Weddell seal or Leptonychotes weddellii is a relatively large and abundant true seal (family: Phocidae) with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica.
The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases.
Weddell seals or Leptonychotes weddellii measure about 8 ft 2 in to 11 ft 6 in long and weigh 880 to 1,320 lbs. They are amongst the largest seals, with a rather bulky body and short fore flippers relative to their body length.
Males weigh less than females, usually about 1,100 lbs. or less. Male and female Weddell seals or Leptonychotes are generally about the same length, though females can be slightly larger. However, the male seal tends to have a thicker neck and a broader head and muzzle than the female.
The Weddell seal or Leptonychotes face has been compared to that of a cat due to a short mouth line and similarities in the structure of the nose and whiskers.
The Weddell seal or Leptonychotes grows a thin fur coat around its whole body except for small areas around the flippers. The colour and pattern of the coat varies, often fading to a duller colour as the seal ages. This coat moults around the beginning of summer. Adults show a counter-shaded coloration that varies from bluish-black to dark gray dorsally and to light gray/silver ventrally.
Weddell seals or Leptonychotes dive to forage for food, maintain breathing holes in fast ice, and explore to find more ice holes. They have been observed to dive as deep as 600 m for up to an hour.
These seals exhibit a diel dive pattern, diving deeper and longer during the day than at night. Weddell seals are top predators in the Antarctic. They eat an array of fish, bottom-feeding prawns, cephalopods and crustaceans.
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Additional information
| Weight | 6 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11 in |
| Weddell Seal Facts | Scientific classification |
