VIDEO: National Geographic photographer recalls remarkable experience while filming a leopard seal underwater in Antarctica

Home > Animals, Biology, Environment, Nature, People, Wilderness > VIDEO: National Geographic photographer recalls remarkable experience while filming a leopard seal underwater in Antarctica

VIDEO: National Geographic photographer recalls remarkable experience while filming a leopard seal underwater in Antarctica

November 16, 2009 Buck Denton Leave a comment Go to comments

As seen in the video below, leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are very powerful and very large aquatic marine predators. Attacks on humans are very rare, and in 2003, Kirsty Brown, a British marine biologist, became “the first person . . . to have been killed by a leopard seal” when she “was dragged underwater by the seal while snorkeling near Rothera research station on the Antarctic Peninsula.”

My Twitter Feed

Nice shot. RT @LadyWoodpecker: Downy Woodpecker and the tree ~ A staring contest: http://twitpic.com/12btlm #birdwatching #nature 7 hours ago
American Airlines to stop offering free blankets on domestic flights: http://ow.ly/15JL7 #TheWayWeLiveNow 7 hours ago
STILL no snow in Vancouver for Winter #Olympics... as '#Snowmageddon' brings chaos to U.S. East Coast: http://ow.ly/15JJ2 #snOMG 7 hours ago
RT @RayBeckerman: RT @SandiBehrns: Top #Pelosi aide says reconciliation is the only way to save #HCR. http://bit.ly/ahkItm #p2 #sgp 9 hours ago
RT @biofriendlyblog: RT @greenbiztweets: The Rise of ‘Green’ Modular Homes http://nyti.ms/c4MOKp via @GreenInc 9 hours ago
Overuse of #antibiotics widespread on factory farms. Antibiotics keep meat cheap & $ in corporation pockets #environment #health #pollution 10 hours ago
Farm workers getting new strains of #MRSA b/c of overuse of #antibiotics. Farms not using antibiotics, no MRSA found: http://ow.ly/15GHI 10 hours ago
Overuse of antibiotics in livestock leading to new strains of drug resistant bacteria: http://ow.ly/15GHI #environment #health #pollution 10 hours ago
GOP: Obama Admin is "Anti-Nuclear" http://ow.ly/15GrK "two leading reactor design proposals have been cited for significant safety flaws" 10 hours ago
The Obama Effect: Gallup has the latest on global opinion of the US global leadership: http://ow.ly/15Gof 10 hours ago

Biomimicry News And Research

Gecko's lessons transfer well
Rice graduate student Cary Pint has come up with a way to transfer forests of strongly aligned, single-walled carbon nanotubes from one surface to another -- any surface -- in a matter of minutes. The template used to grow the nanotubes, with its catalyst particles still intact, can be used repeatedly to grow more nanotubes, almost like inking a rubber stamp […]
Mussel-inspired 'glue' for fetal membrane repair
A sealant inspired by mussels' ability to stick to surfaces under wet conditions has shown promise in the repair of defects in human fetal membranes, according to a Northwestern University study. During a pregnancy, such defects -- ruptures or holes -- can lead to the leakage of amniotic fluid, resulting in premature labor or termination of the pregnanc […]
Slime design mimics Tokyo's rail system
What could human engineers possibly learn from the lowly slime mold? Reliable, cost-efficient network construction, apparently: a recent experiment suggests that Physarum polycephalum, a gelatinous fungus-like mold, might actually lead the way to improved technological systems, such as more robust computer and mobile communication networks.
Unusual snail shell could be a model for better armor
New insights about a tiny snail that lives on the ocean floor could help scientists design better armor for soldiers and vehicles, according to MIT researchers.
Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots
The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at Oregon State University with what they call "bioinspiration" in a quest to build the world's first legged robot that is capable of running effortlessly over rough terrain.
Dental delight: Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals
Some of the most common minerals in biology, including those in bones and shells, have a mysterious structure: Their crystals are positioned in the same orientation, making them behave as one giant crystal, even though they do not look like a faceted crystal.
Copying mother nature's designs
David Bocian of the University of California, Riverside will receive more than $1 million over five years as a co-investigator in the Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center, to be headquartered at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. The center seeks to better understand natural photosynthetic systems and design more durable human-made compounds for captu […]
Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream
John Currey from York University explains that it is almost impossible to make materials that are tough yet stiff: stiff materials tend to break easily and cannot absorb impacts. But not so dry deer antlers. Surviving impacts that are six times greater than crashes that shatter wet femur, deer antler is stiff enough to endure the dueling animals' pushin […]
The cause behind the characteristic shape of a long leaf revealed
Applied mathematicians dissected the morphology of the plantain lily, a characteristic long leaf with a saddle-like arc midsection and closely packed ripples along the edges. The simple cause of the lily's fan-like shape -- elastic relaxation resulting from bending during differential growth -- was revealed by using an equally simple technique, stretchi […]
Scientists are first to 'unlock' the mystery of creating cultured pearls from the queen conch
In their natural form, conch pearls are among the rarest pearls in the world. For more than 25 years, all attempts at culturing pearls from the queen conch have been unsuccessful -- until now. For the first time, novel and proprietary seeding techniques to produce beaded and nonbeaded high-quality cultured pearls from the queen conch have been developed by s […]

Environmental Capital – WSJ.com

So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish
Goodbye.
Who’s Afraid of a Clean-Energy Future?
A cleaner energy system, despite all its teething pains, doesn't have to be at odds with common sense and a healthy economy. Quite the contrary.
Wind Jammers: More ‘Buy’ Recommendations for Denmark’s Vestas
Vestas, the big turbine maker, is a global leader. So why do investors keep punishing it?
Boiling Point: High Hopes for Geothermal Energy
Looking for a cheap, reliable source of clean energy? Geothermal energy is racing up the backstretch.
Green Ink: Magical Climate Thinking, Offshore Wind, and Chinese Coal
The daily roundup of energy and climate news.
Scrap-and-Trade: Would An Energy Bill Alone Do Any Good?
Some members of Congress wonder whether it's time to scrap cap-and-trade and focus on an energy bill. That might not be such a disaster.
Green Ink: Oil Slumps and T. Boone Punts
The daily roundup of energy and climate news.
Oil Prices: Is OPEC Looking for $100 Crude?
For months, OPEC has said it's happy with oil between $70 and $80 a barrel. So why all the talk about crude at $100?
Full Throttle: P&W’s Newest, Greenest Jet Engine
Forget a better mousetrap: Building a better jet engine could be manna for Pratt & Whitney.
Green Ink: Shallow Gas, Electric Cars, and the Future of Yucca Mountain
The daily roundup of energy and climate news.

USGS Newsroom

Fish Egg Disinfectant Shown to Prevent Transmission of Devastating Fish Disease:
Meeting Tomorrow's Challenges: Start with Science
In a fiscally responsible budget that emphasizes cost containment, management efficiencies and program savings, the President's proposed $1.1 billion budget for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in fiscal year 2011 reflects his commitment to use science as the basis for natural resource management decisions. "Science is a cornerstone for sound deci […]
Disappearing Ducks? North America's Prairie Potholes Vulnerable to Warming Climates
Virulent Fish Virus Identified for First Time in Lake Superior:
USGS Issues Assessment of Aftershock Hazards in Haiti
Contaminated House Dust Linked to Parking Lots with Coal Tar Sealant
New Research Findings Can Improve Avian Flu Surveillance Programs
Earthquakes Cause over 1700 Deaths in 2009
USGS Announces Mineral Research Grants for 2010
New research on a range of minerals important to our economy, national security, and land-use decisions has been funded through grants awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey. Recipients of the 2010 USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program grants will study copper, lithium, rare earth elements, uranium, and phosphate in the United States. The principal […]
Arctic Could Face Warmer and Ice-Free Conditions

	9 February 2010 … on VIDEO: High-speed rail around …
	ineedmoreanimalpics!… on CAN YOU SEE ME? \| ANIMAL …
	mcdtito on NEW SPECIES of thread snake di…
	kennedy on CAN YOU SEE ME? \| ANIMAL …
	Bob on POLITICS: Tea party hypocrisy …
	Rob on POLITICS: Tea party hypocrisy …
	Rob on POLITICS: Tea party hypocrisy …
	Rob on POLITICS: Tea party hypocrisy …
	gogirl10 on REEL BIG FISH: Giant catfish i…
	hibiscusmile on CAN YOU SEE ME? \| ANIMAL …

The Conservation Report

VIDEO: National Geographic photographer recalls remarkable experience while filming a leopard seal underwater in Antarctica

Conservation. Science. Politics. Reality.

Email Subscription

Archives

Blogmaster & Author

More about me can be found at a Nature Blog Network interview.

Email

My Feed

What are feeds?

Become A Fan of The Conservation Report on Facebook

Follow Me on Twitter

Stumble Upon My Blog

Bookmark My Blog

Technorati Favorites

My Twitter Feed

Top Posts

Recent Comments

Blog Love

Carnivals

Climate Change

CR Carnivals

CR Cool

CR Environmental Law

CR Hat Tippees

Daily Listen

Economics

Ecotourism

Energy

Environmentalism Spectrum

Food For Thought

Green

Green Construction

How Energy Is Made

Law

Personal Picks

Politics

References

Reforestation

Science

Category Cloud

Tags

Biomimicry News And Research

Environmental Capital – WSJ.com

USGS Newsroom

Blog Stats

Site Meter

Nature Blog Network

Science.org Affiliate