By Nathan Pinder

Special Features

Why endangered? The Weddell Seal is an innocent creature of the sea. What made them endangered? Commercial fishermen use large set nets and deep sea trawlers to collect large amounts of fish. Many other creatures get caught in nets, such as dolphins, sea lions, and seals. There is no way to stop animals swimming into nets, even though they are not the one we want. Commercial fishing provides food for people all over the world, so protecting the Weddell Seal is not so simple as “just stop fishing.”

Whale vs Seal Weddell Seals are also endangered by other creatures. Weddell Seals graze on icebergs in the middle of the sea, making it easy for whales to attack. The standard attack involves swimming below the iceberg and creating enough force to make the iceberg topple the seal into the water.

Where? The Weddell Seal is found mostly around Antarctica but sometimes around the south island of New Zealand and other neighbouring countries.

Breeding Depending on where it lives, this marine mammal gives birth from early September through November. During the mating season, Weddell seals make noises that are loud enough to be felt through the ice. The seals are normally around six to eight years old when they first breed. The Weddell seal is one of the only breeds of seals that can give birth to twin pups. Birth of the pup only takes around one to four minutes. The pups take their first swim at around one to two weeks old. They can hold their breath for five minutes. They can dive to depths of 100 m. After six to seven weeks they leave their parents and begin to hunt independently.

What They Eat Weddel Seals eat fish, squid, krill, prawns, and penguins. They are carnivorous animals and, like bears, need to put on a lot of fat for the winter. They can dive up to 700 metres and are estimated to be able to hold their breath for up to 80 minutes, enabling them to hunt over a wide area. A lazy adult will usually eat around 10 kg a day when active adults will eat around 50 kg.

Change Population Growth Now…… In 1974, the population of the world was 4 Billion. By 1987, the population of the world was 5 Billion. In 1999, the population of the world was 6 Billion. More people, more food needed to eat, more fishing more animals endangered through poor ways used to catch fish... including the Weddell Seal. The population of the world reached 7 Billion in And we are still growing. How will we feed the next billion?

What You Can Do  Are you an inventor?  Invent better fishing nets.  Are you a commercial fisherman?  Be smarter about how you do your job. The fewer seals in your bycatch, the more room you will have for the fish you sell.  Are you a marine zoologist?  Make room in your marine park for the Weddell Seal.  Save the cute guys  Make a difference