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Mating
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Not much is known about the leopard seal's breeding activities. Leopard seals come onto dry land during mating season, during October and November. During this time, leopard seals are usually in small groups or pairs.
Birth
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Approximately nine months after mating, the female leopard seal digs a hole in the ice. She gives birth in the hole to one baby, called a pup. Before digging her den, the mother hunts and eats more prey than normal because she won't eat during for several days after giving birth.
Baby Seals
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The female leopard seal takes care of her pup without the help of the male leopard seal. A leopard seal pup has a thick, soft coat and is light gray in color, with a dorsal stripe on its coat and spots on its underside. The leopard seal pup begins swimming at about 21 days of age. It nurses until it is approximately one month old. Then, it becomes independent from its mother and begins eating krill before being able to hunt animals as adult leopard seals do.
Maturity
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Female leopard seals generally reach sexually maturity at 3 to 7 years old. Males usually reach sexual maturity at 6 or 7.
Adults
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Adult leopard seals can weigh up to 750 pounds and measure up to 10 feet in length. They can live up to 26 years in the wild. The killer whale is the leopard seal's only natural predator.
Adult leopard seals can remain underwater for up to fifteen minutes while hunting.
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Life Cycle of a Leopard Seal
The leopard seal, or Hydrurga leptonyx, is a species native to Antarctica. It is named for the black spotted patterns on its gray or black coat; the spots look similar to a leopard's except for the color. Leopard seals are carnivorous predators, hunting animals such as penguins, birds, squid, fish, shellfish, and even other species of seal.