---
title: "Leopard Seal"
description: "Hydrurga leptonyx — Mammiferi. The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is a long and muscular seal native to the Southern Ocean of Antarctica and southern Patagonia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/leopard-seal
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Leopard Seal

> Hydrurga leptonyx — Mammiferi. The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is a long and muscular seal native to the Southern Ocean of Antarctica and southern Patagonia.

- Scientific name: *Hydrurga leptonyx*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammiferi)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa), `arctic` (Artico)
- iNaturalist observations: 1552
- Wikidata: [Q186663](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q186663)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41724](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41724)

## Names

- en: Leopard Seal
- de: Seeleopard
- es: Foca leopardo
- fr: Léopard de mer
- nl: Zeeluipaard
- pt: Foca-leopardo
- pl: Amfitryta lamparcia

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (295), AU (75), CL (58), GS (22), ZA (21), AR (20), FK (5), TF (5)

## Summary

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is a long and muscular seal native to the Southern Ocean of Antarctica and southern Patagonia. It is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It is the same length as, but half the weight of, a walrus. Its fur coat is countershaded, being silver on the bottom and dark gray on the top, and is distinctive for its leopard-like pattern of dark spots.
The leopard seal is an apex predator, with massive jaws, and teeth which are 2.5 cm (1 in) long. It feeds on a wide range of prey including its fellow…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal

## Photo

![Leopard Seal](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/leopard-seal/medium.jpg)

Photo: gregs · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15086094

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/leopard-seal?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).