ANTARCTICA: Predator and Prey… continued!
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Jun 17, 2010 | by Kevin Loughlin
After the Leopard Seal’s Gentoo Penguin attack the gulls came in to feast on the scraps. This juvenile Kelp gull came close to our zodiac for some choice tidbits.
Our hearts still racing as the Leopard Seal swam amidst our boats, we turned and headed toward shore for our final Antarctic landing of the trip.
As we approached our landing we noticed a young Gentoo who learned a hard lesson. We also noticed one of only two flowering plants found in Antarctica… Deschampsia antarctica or Antarctic Hair Grass. Unfortunately it was not flowering this late in the season.
Suddenly we heard a nearby splash… another Leopard Seal was playing with a Gentoo! It watched the young penguin struggle against its injuries and swam around it, toying with the dying penguin!
Then finally it grabbed the bird and thrashed about until the penguin was surely gone… them swam away, leaving the carcass behind.
It surfaced one more time, offering a maniacal grin before disappearing in a swirl and a splash.
Graceful, with dainty footsteps upon the waters surface, a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel found some smaller scraps while a brawl ensued between Southern Giant Petrels and Kelp Gulls over the floating carcass of the discarded Gentoo.