By Nathan Pinder
Special Features
Why endangered?
 The Weddell Seal is an innocent creature of the sea.
 What made them endangered?
 Commercial fishermen use large set nets and deep sea
trawlers to collect large amounts of fish.
 Many other creatures get caught in nets, such as
dolphins, sea lions, and seals.
 There is no way to stop animals swimming into nets,
even though they are not the one we want.
 Commercial fishing provides food for people all over
the world, so protecting the Weddell Seal is not so
simple as “just stop fishing.”
Weddell Seals are also
endangered by other
creatures. Weddell Seals
graze on icebergs in the
middle of the sea, making
it easy for whales to attack.
The standard attack
involves swimming below
the iceberg and creating
enough force to make the
iceberg topple the seal into
the water.
Where?
 The Weddell Seal is found mostly around Antarctica
but sometimes around the south island of New
Zealand and other neighbouring countries.
Breeding
 Depending on where it lives, this marine mammal gives
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birth from early September through November.
During the mating season, Weddell seals make noises that
are loud enough to be felt through the ice.
The seals are normally around six to eight years old when
they first breed.
The Weddell seal is one of the only breeds of seals that can
give birth to twin pups.
Birth of the pup only takes around one to four minutes.
The pups take their first swim at around one to two weeks
old. They can hold their breath for five minutes. They can
dive to depths of 100 m. After six to seven weeks they leave
their parents and begin to hunt independently.
What They Eat
 Weddel Seals eat fish, squid, krill, prawns, and penguins.
They are carnivorous animals and, like bears, need to put on a
lot of fat for the winter. They can dive up to 700 metres and
are estimated to be able to hold their breath for up to 80
minutes, enabling them to hunt over a wide area.
 A lazy adult will usually eat around 10 kg a day when active
adults will eat around 50 kg.
Change
Population Growth
Now……
 In 1974, the population of the
 The population of the world
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world was 4 Billion.
By 1987, the population of the
world was 5 Billion.
In 1999, the population of the
world was 6 Billion.
More people, more food needed
to eat, more fishing . . .
. . . more animals endangered
through poor ways used to catch
fish . . . including the Weddell
Seal.
reached 7 Billion in 2012.
 And we are still growing.
How will we feed the next
billion?
What You Can Do
 Are you an inventor?

Invent better fishing nets.
 Are you a commercial fisherman?

Be smarter about how you do your
job. The fewer seals in your
bycatch, the more room you will
have for the fish you sell.
 Are you a marine zoologist?
 Make room in your marine park for
the Weddell Seal.
 Save the cute guys
 Make a difference