Changes

==Range and habitat==

==Range and habitat==

The Weddell seal is found around the entire Antarctic continent, living in the waters off the shoreline to the edge of the pack ice; it is found further south than any other mammal<ref>https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/to-do/wildlife/weddell-seal</ref>. A small population also exists further north on the South Georgia Islands.  In winter, many Weddell seals do not migrate northward, but keep near an ice hole to which they dive into, either to forage, or to avoid harsh winter weather; if thin enough, ice holes are created by chewing through with their canine teeth<ref>https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leptonychotes_weddellii/</ref>. Wandering and stray Weddell seals are sometimes seen on the shores of the [[Falkland Islands]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], indicating an extensive foraging range over much of the Southern Ocean.  

The Weddell seal is found around the entire Antarctic continent, living in the waters off the shoreline to the edge of the pack ice; it is found further south than any other mammal.<ref>https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/to-do/wildlife/weddell-seal</ref>  A small population also exists further north on the South Georgia Islands.  In winter, many Weddell seals do not migrate northward, but keep near an ice hole to which they dive into, either to forage, or to avoid harsh winter weather; if thin enough, ice holes are created by chewing through with their canine teeth.<ref>https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leptonychotes_weddellii/</ref>  Wandering and stray Weddell seals are sometimes seen on the shores of the [[Falkland Islands]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], indicating an extensive foraging range over much of the Southern Ocean.  

==Diet==

==Diet==

The food consists almost exclusively of fish, with cephalopods and crustaceans taken in small quantities.  When diving for food Weddell seals have been recorded as the deepest-diving seal, reaching depths of up to 2,000 feet, and can stay under water for up to one hour, covering a foraging area of up to 7.5 miles<ref>https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/pinnipeds/weddell.php</ref>.

The food consists almost exclusively of fish, with cephalopods and crustaceans taken in small quantities.  When diving for food Weddell seals have been recorded as the deepest-diving seal, reaching depths of up to 2,000 feet, and can stay under water for up to one hour, covering a foraging area of up to 7.5 miles.<ref>https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/pinnipeds/weddell.php</ref>

==Reproduction==

==Reproduction==

==Threats==

==Threats==

Weddell seals are slow and sluggish on the ice.  Since they have no enemies to fear outside the water, they show no escape behavior and can be touched by people<ref>http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/seals-and-sea-lions/weddell-seals</ref>, and this trust led them in the past to be killed by sealers or by personnel at research stations as food for sled dogs.  Despite this, the population of Weddell seals is estimated at 500,000 to 1 million animals (the ICUN estimates a minimum of 300,000, while admitting difficulty in making a proper assessment<ref>https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11696/45226713#population</ref>), making it the most common seal of Antarctica after the [[crabeater seal|crabeater]].  The Ross Sea area has been cited as having a high density Weddell seal population<ref>https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0182922</ref>. Natural threats include [[orca]]s and [[leopard seal]]s.

Weddell seals are slow and sluggish on the ice.  Since they have no enemies to fear outside the water, they show no escape behavior and can be touched by people,<ref>http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/seals-and-sea-lions/weddell-seals</ref> and this trust led them in the past to be killed by sealers or by personnel at research stations as food for sled dogs.  Despite this, the population of Weddell seals is estimated at 500,000 to 1 million animals (the ICUN estimates a minimum of 300,000, while admitting difficulty in making a proper assessment<ref>https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11696/45226713#population</ref>), making it the most common seal of Antarctica after the [[crabeater seal|crabeater]].  The Ross Sea area has been cited as having a high density Weddell seal population.<ref>https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0182922</ref>  Natural threats include [[orca]]s and [[leopard seal]]s.

==References==

==References==

[[Category:Mammals]][[Category:Carnivora]][[Category:Marine Mammals]][[Category:Pinnipeds]]

[[Category:Mammals]][[Category:Carnivora]][[Category:Marine Mammals]][[Category:Pinnipeds]]