By Rebecca Drew
THIS HUNGRY seal brought new meaning to the slogan ‘P… P… P… Pick up a Penguin’ as it brutally beheaded its prey in a bloody attack.
Incredible action-packed images showed the moment a 770-pound leopard seal hunted down a 13-pound gentoo penguin at sea.
Once captured, the predator played with its prey before swiftly decapitating and devouring the bird in crimson splattered scenes.
In a final image, the seal bobs its head above the water in contentment at its successful hunt.
The images were taken in Antarctica over the space of 15 minutes by nature and expedition photographer, Yuri Choufour (35) from Vancouver, Canada.
Yuri used his Nikon D850 and D810 cameras to capture these natural world shots from a distance of just 60-feet away on a trip run by Albatros Expeditions.
“Leopard seals are near the top of the food chain in Antarctica, with orcas being their only predator,” said Yuri.
“Leopard seals eat krill, fish, and even other seal species but are most notorious for the savage ways they’ve been known to hunt penguins.
“At times, they seemingly play with their injured prey rather than killing it immediately.
“During this encounter, we watched the leopard seal release the injured penguin multiple times, only to chase it down again.
“In a place as remote as Antarctica, being in such close quarters with predator and prey is something so very few people will ever witness.
“Looking back at the metadata from my images, we spent nearly fifteen minutes watching this struggle unfold, which I’ll add is an extremely long time to watch something like this.
“Spending time in Antarctica often leads to a fondness for penguins, so watching this particular bird hopelessly fight for its life was not easy.
“People’s reactions are usually a mix of shock and amazement but understandably, some people are a bit horrified by the more graphic images. That being said, most people still want to know the story behind the encounter.
“It’s a sobering reminder that beyond the beauty and life creating cycles of the natural world, it can also be ruthless and seem cruel but this is also what creates balance.
“By comparison, many humans live really comfortable lives while most species have to fight for their survival every single day.
“In the end, all species are still interconnected on this planet and we’ve become too successful for our own good. I think recent world events should be wake-up call for humanity to rethink our progress.
“I’m also thankful for the collaboration that working with talented colleagues enables. This encounter was made possible thanks to the experience and expert zodiac driving of my friends Matt Burnaby and Christophe Gouraud.
“On top of that, it was definitely one of those right place-right time situations, and I was ready to capture it.”
The leopard seal is named for its black-spotted coat which is similar to that of its big cat namesake.
Leopard seals are fierce predators and the only ones that feed on warm-blooded prey, such as other seals.
For more incredible photos of our natural world visit www.yurichoufour.com and follow along on Instagram @yurichoufour
