Leopard Seals

Joseph and I finally watched the movie "Eight Below" last night. I had been warned that it was sad and wasn't very excited to watch it. It's a movie about eight sled dogs being left alone at a base in Antarctica over the winter. I would recommend the movie, but it was difficult to watch despite a mostly happy ending.

The title of my post refers to a part in the movie when the surviving dogs come upon a Killer Whale carcass and try to eat some of it. Out jumps a leopard seal who was there first, apparently. Ugly, vile creature!

I have never heard anything endearing at all about leopard seals. They go around eating penguins and chomping poor sled dogs' legs! I think of the poor male penguins left to guard the eggs in the minus 80 degree temps while their mates go back to the ocean to feed. Enter lout-leopard seal, killing off the mother. What happens to dad and baby back at the nesting grounds?

I even checked out a library book today to see if there was anything positive there. You know, something about a BABY leopard seal. Still nothing.

I think these may fit into the category of venomous snakes and venomous insects (esp. wasps). Useless, Cruel, Vicious.

Does anybody know anything good about leopard seals, besides the obvious, keeping the prey populations at bay...