Weddell seal

Leptonychotes weddellii · Phocidae

The Weddell seal is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases.

Where the Weddell seal lives

Recorded in Antarctica (Antarctica).

See the Weddell seal’s range on the globe

Conservation status

Least concern (LC). Not at risk: it is doing well in the wild. Categories are the IUCN Red List as republished by GBIF.

Sources

The range is a density of 385,991 georeferenced GBIF records, not an expert-drawn map. Description from Wikipedia.