Comments on: Just when you thought....

Just when you thought....

jontyjago — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 06:54:55 -0800

Seal kills scientist A British scientist has been killed by a leopard seal whilst snorkelling in Antarctica. I had no idea that a seal could (or would) attack a human. These things can grow to 23ft long! They are known to feed on penguins, but a human is a fair bit bigger than a penguin, so this is one nasty animal, not the doe-eyed creature we coo over in nature programmes...

By: jonson

jonson — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 06:59:09 -0800

I say we club its babies for revenge!!

By: tomcosgrave

tomcosgrave — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:02:56 -0800

Leopard seals do not normally attack humans - they are however, ferocious hunters in the wild. My guess is that the seal mistook her for something it would normally prey on and this is why diving would not be allowed if they're seen in an area that is being used for a dive.

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:04:33 -0800

Jonson, you beat me to it. I'm surprised that snorkeling in Antarctica wouldn't kill you even without the seals.

By: Samsonov14

Samsonov14 — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:05:24 -0800

I'm pretty sure that 23 foot-long thing is incorrect. I think they're more like 10 feet long.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:05:30 -0800

I, for one, welcome our new Leopard Seal overlords.

By: donpardo

donpardo — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:05:35 -0800

I'll bet a crow put her up to it.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:09:15 -0800

Maybe it was a Navy SEAL.

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:12:33 -0800

Payback time!

By: Samsonov14

Samsonov14 — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:13:16 -0800

The leopard seal can grow to be up to 35 feet long and weigh more than a schoolbus. They usually disable their prey with a posionous stinger located on at the tip of one of their three horns before attacking with razor-sharp teeth and eyes that shoot lasers. Leopard seals can speak Spanish. Anyway... Nice fact checking, Guardian. Leopard Seal: length:- female 3.6-3.7m; male 3-3.1m weight:- female up to 370kg; male 325kg.

By: stifford

stifford — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:19:06 -0800

On a slight tangent, wasn't there a story about a "serial killing" otter on the west coast a couple of years ago? (it was attacking other otters, not humans from what I remember...)

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:27:05 -0800

Here's what they look like.

By: trharlan

trharlan — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:28:12 -0800

Hey, Samsonov, we don't take kindly to your fancy Metric system over here in Uhmerika.

By: magullo

magullo — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:37:51 -0800

Payback time? In Antarctica?

By: cup

cup — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:44:01 -0800

Here is another picture, another attack and some more information about these seals. Also, something about penguins with a picture) too.

By: loukas_c

loukas_c — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:44:52 -0800

The favorite food of the leopard seal is the penguin. Typically, the seals will chase or grab penguins in the water and thrash their capture back and forth until the skin peels away, so that the remaining carcass can be eaten. Deeelicious

By: Joeforking

Joeforking — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:46:28 -0800

It probably thought she was a pike.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:49:02 -0800

I'm waiting for the day Shamu or one of fellow orcas decides they're tired of performing for fish and takes out one of those folks lined up for a "kiss". There's a reason wild animals are called wild.

By: blefr

blefr — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:51:50 -0800

Attack of the seals! Two years ago it was the sharks, now it's the previously friendly seals. Do humans need to forgo the seas completely? Will the dolphins turn too?

By: Johnny Assay

Johnny Assay — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:52:56 -0800

Leopard seals? Feh. Everyone knows that the most dangerous animal in Antarctica is the hot-headed naked ice borer.

By: Joeforking

Joeforking — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 07:59:43 -0800

Further Facts - They say it's as big as four cats, and it's got a retractable leg so as it can leap up at you better, and you know what, Ted, it lights up at night, and it's got four ears. Two of them are for listening and the other two are kind of back-up ears, and it's claws are as big as cups and for some reason it's got a tremendous fear of stamps and Mrs. Doyle was tellin' me that it's got magnets on it's tail, so as if you're made out of metal it can attach itself to you, and instead of a mouth it's got four arses. ....And some of his ears are on the inside of his head ,and when he yawns it sounds like Liam Neeson chasing a load of hens around inside a barrel. ....And he doesn't have any eyebrows at all, except on Saturdays [/Father Dougal]

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 08:18:44 -0800

<groan> I wonder if he did it on porpoise? </groan>

By: tr33hggr

tr33hggr — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 08:39:47 -0800

Why shouldn't we be a viable food source? There are lots of us, and we are, for the most part, soft, stupid, and easy prey.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 08:40:28 -0800

I certainly wouldn't make anemone of a Leopard Seal. They're shellfish lovers, you know.

By: Acetylene

Acetylene — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:08:33 -0800

Nice fact checking, Guardian. For what it's worth, this article says leopard seals "are known to grow as long as twenty-one feet, but average between twelve and fifteen."

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:12:53 -0800

"Leopard seals can speak Spanish" - Samsanov14, you're wrong on that point. Leopard Seals speak Basque. This peculiar fact also sheds light on the mysterious origin of the Basque people and culture.

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:23:05 -0800

Stifford - you must be thinking of this: "17-year-old Erin Vanduzen was floating on an air mattress on Shasta Lake when the attack started. Park officials say one actually climbed on to her back while the others bit her underwater...."She had just been bitten around the arms, the legs, the back of the head and neck. Just puncture wounds was all you could see," said Vinny Villano of Packers Bay Marina. "She was pretty torn up." In all, Vanduzen suffered more than 30 puncture wounds and had to have more than 40 stitches, as well as rabies shots. This is the third reported attack by otters on people in recent weeks at Shasta Lake....."

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:37:04 -0800

one actually climbed on to her back Sounds like randy otters. They are weasels, after all.

By: astro38

astro38 — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:43:07 -0800

Press release from BAS, plus a diary of one of her recent dive trips. I think this is really sad. Imagine being the doctor, trying to save and friend and colleague who's been one of the 20 people you've known in the last year. It's difficult to imagine the effect this would have on such a small and isolated community.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:44:48 -0800

At first I thought it was this Seal.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:52:05 -0800

This peculiar fact also sheds light on the mysterious origin of the Basque people and culture Damn, I'd always been wondering why Basque had 3532875923 words for "Hot seal coochie-mama."

By: Elvis

Elvis — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:53:12 -0800

I've never trusted the seals. Beady eyes, you know.

By: Plunge

Plunge — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:36:12 -0800

I'm waiting for the day Shamu or one of fellow orcas decides they're tired of performing for fish and takes out one of those folks lined up for a "kiss". I don't know why I found that so funny, but I just started chuckling and couldn't quit.

By: Samsonov14

Samsonov14 — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:42:15 -0800

For what it's worth, this article says leopard seals "are known to grow as long as twenty-one feet, but average between twelve and fifteen." Acetalyne, it's not worth poo. Leopard Seal females generally average 290 cm in length and 367 in weight (males, 180 cm and 324 kg), but the largest specimen on record was 358 cm long; that is over 11 feet! (from here, among other places) They're off by about half. I should know. My neighbors growing up were leopard seals.

By: whatnot

whatnot — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 12:29:40 -0800

it's guerilla warfare. they've had enough of our environmental policies.

By: Tin Man

Tin Man — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 13:25:58 -0800

I have a friend living at the South Pole right now, and he e-mailed me about this yesterday. Kinda freaky.

By: G_Ask

G_Ask — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 14:35:33 -0800

Will the dolphins turn too? They already have.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:40:12 -0800

I was threated by a sea lion while snorkelling once, off a seamount where there was a big colony, in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz. Those buggers are fast. It came up like a rocket from about 12 metres deep, underneath me as I was treading water, took a chunk out of one of my flippers, and zoomed off. I think it was a cow, and I might have gotten between it and a young' un. Scary, but they are quite beautiful when they're in the water. And frolicking with the cubs was a memorable joy. Lesson learned, once again - no matter how much you anthoporphize 'em, wild animals are just that.

By: pzarquon

pzarquon — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 18:53:09 -0800

There's a profile of Kirsty Brown (and a small photo) at the University of Adelade Magazine website.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 18:56:23 -0800

er, anthropomorphize

By: whatnot

whatnot — Thu, 24 Jul 2003 20:00:18 -0800

anthroporpoise-ise?

By: arto

arto — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 01:00:43 -0800

You know, when he sang "We're never gonna survive, unless we get a little crazy", I never thought he meant journalisticidically crazy--what? The *animal* kind of Seal? Oh.

By: arto

arto — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 01:02:01 -0800

er, scientisticidally. Remember, kids, RTFA first, then make bad joke.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 02:14:07 -0800

I had the same thought, arto, but I thought I'd better limit my groan-worthy comments to 2 N^o.

By: walrus

walrus — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 02:49:40 -0800

Seal kills scientist Show-off ...

By: culberjo

culberjo — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 20:37:50 -0800

Tin Man, I am at the South Pole right now. I am wondering who your friend is? We received word from Rothera a few days ago. Our station manager sent a note of condolence to Rothera and told us this is a reminder that we are just visitors on a fairly hostile continent. Then again we are all just visitors on a fairly hostile planet aren't we?