WEDDELL SEAL

(species Leptonychotes weddelli), nonmigratory, earless seal (family Phocidae) found around the South Pole, on or near the coast of Antarctica. The Weddell seal is a rotund animal growing to about 3 m (10 feet) in length and about 400 kg (880 pounds) in weight; the female is larger than the male. It is gray-coated as a pup and as an adult is dark gray above, lighter below, and marked with pale blotches. The Weddell seal lives alone or in groups and feeds on fish, cephalopods, and other marine animals. An accomplished diver, it has been known to remain submerged for 43 minutes, 20 seconds and to descend to 600 m. It winters under the ice, keeping breathing holes open by gnawing with its canine and incisor teeth.