Editing Leopard seal (section)

==Description==
[[File:Leopard Seal skull 1844.jpg|left|thumb|The skull of the leopard seal]]
The leopard seal has a distinctively long and muscular body shape when compared to other seals. The overall length of adults is {{convert|2.4|–|3.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} and their weight is in the range {{convert|200|to|600|kg}}, making them the same length as the northern [[walrus]] but usually less than half the weight.<ref>{{cite book |author=Nowak, Ronald M |title=Walker's Marine Mammals of the World |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]: Baltimore, MD |year=2003}}</ref><ref name="Marine Bio">{{Cite web|url=https://www.marinebio.org/species/leopard-seals/hydrurga-leptonyx/|title=Leopard Seals, Hydrurga leptonyx|website=Marine Bio}}</ref> They are covered in a thick layer of [[blubber]] that helps to keep them warm while in the cold temperatures of the Antarctic. This blubber also helps to streamline their body making them more [[hydrodynamic]], and thus able to hunt down swift prey. A seal's body condition can be ascertained through blubber thickness, along with general girth, weight, and length measurements.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Krause|first1=Douglas J.|last2=Hinke|first2=Jefferson T.|last3=Perryman|first3=Wayne L.|last4=Goebel|first4=Michael E.|last5=LeRoi|first5=Donald J.|date=2017-11-29|title=An accurate and adaptable photogrammetric approach for estimating the mass and body condition of pinnipeds using an unmanned aerial system | journal = PLOS ONE|volume=12|issue=11|pages=e0187465|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0187465 | pmc = 5706667|pmid=29186134|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1287465K|doi-access=free}}</ref> 

Females are larger than males by up to 50%; the leopard seal is [[sexually dimorphic]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kienle |first=Sarah S. |date=17 August 2022 |title=Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal |journal=  Frontiers in Marine Science|volume=9 |doi=10.3389/fmars.2022.976019 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022FrMaS...976019K }}</ref>

It is perhaps best known for its massive jaws, which allow it to be one of the top predators in its environment.<ref name=":0" /> The seal's [[canine teeth]] are up to {{convert|2.5|cm|0|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="Animal">{{cite book|last=Kindersley |first=Dorling |year=2005 |orig-year=2001 |title=Animal |location=New York City |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0-7894-7764-4}}</ref> These and the incisor teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but their [[molar (tooth)|molars]] lock together in a way that allows them to [[Filter feeder|"sieve" krill]] from the water. This characteristic is shared with the other species in the tribe [[Lobodontini]] such as the [[crabeater seal]], and is the trait that gives the tribe its name. 
[[File:Hydrurga leptonyx.png|thumb|Size compared to a human]]
As "true" seals of the family [[Phocidae]], they do not have external ears or ''[[Auricle (anatomy)|pinnae]]'', but possess an internal [[ear canal]] that leads to an external opening.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://travelwild.com/resources/antarctica-wildlife/leopard-seal/|title=Leopard seal {{!}} TravelWild Expeditions|website=TravelWild Expeditions|access-date=2018-04-18}}</ref> Their hearing in air is similar to that of a human, but scientists have noted that leopard seals use their ears in conjunction with their whiskers to track prey under water.<ref name=":1" /> The [[whiskers]] are short and clear.

Their front [[Flipper (anatomy)|flippers]] are extremely large in comparison to other phocids. Their large front flippers are used to steer themselves through the water column making them extremely agile while hunting. They use their front flippers similarly to sea lions (family [[Otariidae]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/pinnipeds/leopard.php|title=Leopard Seals|website=NOAA Fisheries National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Alaska Fisheries Science Center|date=27 January 2021}}</ref>

The [[pelage]] is [[counter shading|counter-shaded]]; consisting mainly of a blend of silver and dark gray, with a distinctive spotted [[leopard]]-like pattern on the [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsum]], and a white to light gray color ventrally.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&id=52|title=Marine Species Identification Portal : Leopard seal - Hydrurga leptonyx|website=species-identification.org|access-date=2018-03-19}}</ref>