Staring death in the face: The penguin comes
face to face with its predator, an enormous leopard seal, in the waters
of Port Lockroy off the Antarctic Peninsula
No escape: The penguin tries to swim for its
life, but the leopard seal manages to clamp its jaws around one of the
vulnerable bird's webbed feet
Trapped: Young penguins often play in the
shallow waters of Port Lockroy, unaware of the danger lurking beneath
the surface where mighty leopard seals lie in wait
Lunge: When the young penguins get too close to
the muscular leopard seals, the aggressive predators can attack with
lightning speed
Feast: The leopard seal fastens its jaws around
the penguin. The seals can devour up to 12 of the birds in a single day
when they hunt in shallow waters
Ambushed: Leopard seals patrol the water around
the edges of the ice at the Antarctic Peninsula, before grabbing the
penguins by their feet and shaking the birds vigorously, then dragging
their prey into deeper waters to be eaten
Feeding time: The second largest species of seal
in the Antarctic, the sea leopard also feasts on krill, squid and fish,
and occasionally other seals like crabeaters
Gaping jaw: A leopard seal attempts to bite a camera as it swims through the icy waters of Port Lockroy
Smile for the camera: The graphic images were
captured by a former Israeli Special Forces officer turned wildlife
photographer and keen leopard seal observer
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