Mating behaviour in the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx (Mammalia : Phocidae), in captivity

Abstract

Observations are given on courtship, vocalization, and copulation in the leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, in captivity. Copulation was observed on November 30, 1965 and January 29, 1966 by members of the staff of Taronga Zoological Park, Sydney. This act has not previously been recorded in this species and the exact time of mating under natural conditions is unknown. The female was found dead in the enclosure which it shared with the male, and had severe lacerations, which were presumably inflicted by the latter, on the head, neck, and body. These wounds did not seem sufficiently severe to have caused its death and it was not possible to determine the cause of death from post mortem examination. The wounds bore a marked resemblance to injuries described on other seals in the Antarctic and it is suggested that such damage, which has in the past been attributed to other marine predators, may have been inflicted by leopard seals.