Leopard seals are top predators in the Antarctic; the only animal that preys upon them is the killer whale. Their favorite food is penguin, which comprises 87 percent of their diet. Leopard seals hunt in shallow waters by hiding under overhanging edges of ice and ambushing penguins, who have to brave the dangerous waters to find food. Cutting edge scientists are using advanced equipment such as Crittercam to learn more about these amazing animals.

Students will brainstorm the hunting behaviors of animals in general and leopard seals in particular and read some basic information about leopard seals. They will imagine that they are scientists who want to study leopard seal hunting, and they will draw diagrams showing the places they would look for the seals. They will conclude by writing paragraphs explaining where they would look for the seals and what behaviors they would look for.

Geography, life sciences

Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"

One to two hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Blank paper for students to draw their diagrams

Students will

• discuss their perceptions of seals;
• brainstorm animal hunting strategies;
• brainstorm how leopard seals might capture penguins;
• read and answer questions about a Web page describing leopard seals;
• draw diagrams showing the places they would look for leopard seals if they were scientists planning to study the seals' hunting behaviors; and
• write paragraphs explaining where they would look for the seals and what behaviors they would look for.

Ask students to name words that come to minds when they think of seals. They might mention such words as mammals, ocean-dwelling, fish-eating, loud, or cute. Ask if they have ever thought of seals as top predators, like polar bears or lions. Explain that the leopard seals they will be learning about are top predators in the Antarctic.

Have a student point out Antarctica on a map so that everyone can identify the continent where most leopard seals live.

Ask students to brainstorm some of the strategies that animals use when hunting. They should think generally about any animals they have learned about. Ask them to list their ideas on paper, and then make a class list on the board.

Have students look at a picture of a leopard seal at the Australian Antarctic Division's leopard seals page. Then have them look at emperor penguin pictures on the same site.

Tell students that penguins are leopard seals' favorite kind of food. Explain that penguins live on the ice but must go into the ocean to feed on fish. Leopard seals are waiting for them in the water when they arrive. The penguins, however, are very fast swimmers, stay together in large groups, and can turn and change directions more quickly than the seals.

Ask students how they think leopard seals might catch penguins. What hunting strategies might they use? How do these strategies compare to the general ones students have already listed?

Have students look at the photograph at the Under Antarctic Ice Photo Essay. Explain that leopard seals live in areas where water and ice meet and that they can sometimes be spotted on pieces of drifting ice such as the ones shown in this photograph.

Have students go to the Australian Antarctic Division's Web site and read about leopard seals. Ask them to take turns reading the paragraphs out loud to the class. As you go through the reading, clarify these points for the class:

• Sub-Antarctic islands are a little bit north of the Antarctic continent.
• Tasmania is an island just south of Australia (students can find it on a map).
• Taronga Park Zoo is in Sydney, Australia.

After the class has read this Web page, discuss these questions. Students will probably need to return to the text to find some of the answers:

• What type of habitat do leopard seals prefer?
• What do they eat, in addition to penguins?
• How do leopard seals capture their prey?
• Do leopard seals live in packs or alone?
• Do they have any predators? If so, who eats the leopard seal?

Describe these additional facts about leopard seal hunting strategies to the class and have students write them down:

• Leopard seals hide under the ice edge as they hunt.
• They take short, shallow dives before coming up to breathe.
• They hunt alone.
• A single seal tends to stay around the same area and penguin colony rather than wandering throughout the Antarctic seas.

Ask students to pretend that they are scientists who are looking for leopard seals. They want to study the seals' hunting behaviors. Where would they look? Discuss how they would go about looking for the seals based on what they know about the seals' habits and hunting behaviors.

Have students work independently or with partners to draw diagrams showing the places they think would be the best to search for leopard seals. Their drawings should include ice, penguins, and water and should show the ideal leopard seal locations with Xs or pictures of seals.

Ask students to write paragraphs answering the question: "If you wanted to study leopard seal hunting behaviors, where would you look and what behaviors would you look for?"

Have students draw pictures showing what Crittercam might look like on the back of a hunting leopard seal. They can get some ideas about what it looks like under the Antarctic ice at the Under Antarctic Ice Photo Essay.

Australian Antarctic Division: Emperor Penguins
Australian Antarctic Division: Leopard Seals
National Geographic: Crittercam Chronicles
PBS: NatureUnder Antarctic Ice Photo Essay