Between a Rock and a Seal (Antarctica

After my first encounter with a Weddel seal, my photo roll looked something like this cartoon the resident artist onboard drew up.

Pretty accurate, eh?

What follows is a brief guide on how to tell seals apart.

Disclaimer - I usually only post my own pictures, but as I did not carry around a 10 foot camera lens (not that I know how to use one anyways), I suffered the consequences. If the picture is amazingly close and clear and looks like it belongs in National Geographic, it's not mine. It was taken by one of the real photographers onboard who shared their best shots on a community USB stick. The attribution was lost, but the photographs remain.

Now onto educational content of the utmost importance.

Weddell Seals

If it looks like a puppy without legs, it’s a Weddell seal.

While I wasn’t fortunate on the close up photos, I did get to watch this baby Weddell work it for the paparazzi.

Crabeater Seals

If it actually looks like what you expect a seal to look like, its a Crabeater. Note they do not actually eat crabs.

Elephant Seals

If it looks like a rock but doesn't act like a rock, it’s an elephant seal.

They also don’t move much.

Leopard Seals

And if it looks absolutely nothing like a seal but more like Voldemort or a snake, it’s a leopard seal.

This is the only seal that is a predator. They’ve gotten a bit of a bad rep because of their proclivity to hunt penguins (I can't blame them entirely, penguins are as abundant here as Impala in the Serengeti). Like most bullies, these guys prefer to chill on their own block of ice in complete solitude.