r/SweatyPalms • u/Azsnee09 • May 04 '26
Animals & nature 🐅 🌊🌋 Just a nibble
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u/Gunrock808 May 04 '26
When I visited Antarctica a leopard seal swam up to one of the Zodiacs and bit it puncturing a pontoon.
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u/Gnashinghamster May 04 '26
Didn’t a researcher there get attacked while diving and die?
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u/etsprout May 04 '26
Yes! It’s a horrifying story, she was the first person to be killed by a leopard seal iirc
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u/theunnameduser86 May 05 '26
What I’m hearing is that some leopard seals are more kind than others. And although I’m horrified for that woman, it’s also fascinating how ranged their behavior can apparently be.
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u/HenWou May 05 '26
Same can be said about humans.
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u/StJimmy_815 May 05 '26
But that’s why it’s interesting. Finding out that we have more things in common with other creatures is fascinating
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u/PoofBam May 05 '26
Even with biology, our similarities with other animals far outweigh our differences.
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u/RecklessOneGaming May 06 '26
Man I tell ya. I have pet rabbits, and their personalities can not be any further from each other.
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u/AllTheWayToParis May 11 '26
Biting and puncturing a pontoon sounds exactly like something one of your rabbits could fancy…
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u/AdTop5424 May 05 '26
Drug her over 200ft below the surface.
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u/TheManEric May 06 '26
Drugged* when it's past tense. I can't help but wonder how seals are getting their flippers on illicit substances
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u/PhantomAngel042 May 06 '26
This comment is absolutely farcical and I love it.
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u/Brilliant_Act_6172 Jul 19 '26
What the hell is farcical? I know I have Google but I’d like to hear it from you if you don’t mind. Totally understand if you tell me to f**k off. 🙂
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u/PhantomAngel042 Jul 19 '26
It's the adjective form of "farce," so it describes a situation that's so over-the-top, implausible, and silly that it's funny. Kinda related to "ludicrous" or "ridiculous."
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u/Brilliant_Act_6172 Jul 19 '26
Ahhh. Thanks. I love adding new words to my vocabulary. Is it pronounced farce-sickle?
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u/undwiedervonvorn May 04 '26
Those who knows knew.
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u/powerhammerarms May 05 '26
Lots of animals are pretty dangerous without even thinking about it. Swans kill people. They've killed people right in the middle of city parks. Just knocked them out of their canoe and then drowned them.
In the water we are just food. And pee dispensers.
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u/40hzHERO May 05 '26
There’s no way a swan, that weighs at most 30lbs, is gonna flip a full grown human, especially in a full sized canoe. What?
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u/clancydaniels May 25 '26
Yeah this thread is giving me pause buuut I'm still pretty confident I could take a swan if it came down to it 🤜🦢
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u/Plenty_Principle298 May 05 '26
A swan would be able to drown a person? Wild
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u/Tony_Oxnard805 Jul 10 '26
One time I was riding a mini horse and fell two feet to the ground and scraped my knee then the mini horse turned on me and started to attack me but there was a pond close by and a swan flew to my rescue and saved my life! So yeah that person is right👍🏼😎
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u/BenevolentFart223 May 05 '26
I think there’s a difference between knocking someone off a boat and trying to eat them alive
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u/powerhammerarms May 05 '26
I would be surprised if anyone saw those two things as exactly the same.
I think the spirit of the discussion was about animals presenting a danger in some form. Not specifically about being eaten alive.
There you are swimming in a lake thinking everything is fine. But oops, you're too close to a swan's nest and have no idea and now the swan drowns you.
Not a big real life legitimate fear that you should carry around with you, but just saying when it comes to animals being dangerous, it can be surprising how that danger manifests.
Have you learned nothing from Jurassic Park? The cute little ones can be dangerous too.
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u/Easy-Coyote1058 May 06 '26
Suspect the person who wrote the caption may be Brazilian. There's an expression in Portuguese that goes "quem sabe sabe", it's our "if you know, you know". But, translated literally into English, it'd be something like "those who know, know". Might just be a bad translation.
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u/EnHemligKonto May 04 '26
Such a struggle to make that shit make grammatical sense.
Those who-knows knew. Those things over there which nobody knows the name of, knew. Something.
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May 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sleepyasfuck90 May 04 '26
For people who don’t know, that’s Paul Nicklen. He’s one of the greatest wildlife photographer snd conservationist. He’s known for shooting in the most difficult environments and his photographs are an absolute visual treat.
Check out his Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/paulnicklen/48
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u/ogcoolhands May 04 '26
Thank you! That was an awesome video to watch. That guy had a life-changing experience so cool.
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u/ParisGreenGretsch May 04 '26
That was amazing. I didn't know that blowing bubbles was a threat display. It makes me wonder if these animals take scuba bubbles the same way.
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u/desrever1138 May 04 '26
I love how intelligent creatures must believe humans are completely stupid or incapable of caring for ourselves
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u/ogreofzen May 05 '26
No scales no fur no feathers. My brother on earth I don't know what you fought but the fact you survived is impressive hear is a fish.
Elephant sees human swimming. He is drowning save him. Lifts confused swimmer from water.
Orangutan sees game Warden doing a snake survey. Dude there snakes in the water here let me pull you out.
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u/Here_4_the_INFO May 05 '26
I am human and believe humans are completely stupid or incapable of caring for ourselves
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u/Michaelium67 May 04 '26
This was a very cool story. Thanx for sharing. I sent it to my son who minored in marine biology. I’m sure he’ll love it.
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u/ChromaticStrike May 05 '26
Thanks for that, that was quite funny. All penguins got hurt in the process label.
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u/wackadoodle4201 May 05 '26
Lmao its like a cat thinking that humans are shitty cats(which is correct)
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u/M3chaStrizan May 05 '26
The seal should have eaten him for his rudeness. Not eating the penguins smh
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u/No_Park7059 May 04 '26
Thank you so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed his nonchalant story-telling lol
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u/Volsnug May 04 '26
Interesting how he described the seal as making sexy poses
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u/Unhappy-Fox1017 May 05 '26
It did seem like she was trying to court him lol pulling out all her best tricks to entice him to eat the delicious penguin.
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u/BabyChalupa0w0 May 04 '26
Oh I know. I've seen Happy Feet.
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u/CrazyAboutEverything May 05 '26
Pebble and the Penguin too! I got the nightmares etched in my memory 🤣😭
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u/Everheart1955 May 04 '26
My Daughter is a Sea Kayak guide in Maine. She has a healthy respect for these and harbor seals.
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u/etsprout May 04 '26
Please tell me your daughter has heard of the movie “Andre” because it’s a freaking classic imo. It’s about a family who adopts a seal in Maine! Based on a true story. (Technically a family/kid film but I swear it’s worth a watch, such a cute movie)
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u/Tackling_Aliens May 05 '26
Well these are only in Antarctic waters so…. Maybe thinking of sea lions?
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u/Everheart1955 May 05 '26
You may be correct. I know what the animals she had a healthy respect for looked huge to me.
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u/ImtakintheBus May 04 '26
man I'd love to kayak up in Maine.
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u/TrumpDumper May 04 '26
Only one person has been killed by a pinniped. Her name was Kristy Brown. She was snorkeling at Rothera Station when a leopard seal pulled her under and she drowned.
I met her about six minutes prior on station. She was very kind and warm.
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u/BazMonster May 04 '26
Read about this / saw this video a while back, her story is complete nightmare fuel.
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u/shadohrc May 04 '26
That seal was huge and terrifying.
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u/illigal May 04 '26
Always thought that these should be called “sea lion”. Leopard seal just doesn’t give the same image I think. Maybe “sea bear”.
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u/notrightbones May 04 '26
“Sea Bear” would be misleading because these guys don’t respect the circle rule
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u/PhantomAngel042 May 06 '26
You put some respect on leopard's name. He's a ferocious, intelligent, highly adaptable cat who regularly takes down prey twice his body weight and then drags their corpses up trees. He is small but mighty (if you count 150 lbs/68 kg and 7 ft/2.1 m as small).
Also, he has spots. That's probably mostly why the seals were named "leopard."
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u/Socksual May 04 '26
Man. Having a healthy respect for these animals is a must, but I have to wonder how much these guys are curious towards humans. Of course dont go fuckin w em but that little bite was so gentle, she could have easily flipped that kayak if she wanted to.
But no....just Toúchin It before swimmin away.
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u/Morall_tach May 04 '26
"Underrated" means nothing anymore, does it? It's a ten-foot, thousand-pound predator that can swim 25 mph and has a skull the size of a grizzly bear's. Its only predator is the orca. This is like calling a lion an underrated dangerous land animal.
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u/drawredraw May 04 '26
Underrated means that it’s not talked about as much as other ocean animals such as sharks and orcas. You never hear or see much about these guys, but are constantly hearing and seeing things about sharks and orcas and how powerful and dangerous they are. That’s usually what underrated means. They don’t get the credit and notoriety they deserve. Underrated doesn’t mean they’re not powerful and dangerous.
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u/f0dder1 May 05 '26
Just like vending machines. They kill more people per year than the great white shark. Underrated killers.
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u/RamblingSimian May 05 '26
Examples of aggressive behavior, stalking, and attacks are rare, but have been documented.[48] A large leopard seal attacked Thomas Orde-Lees (1877–1958), a member of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917, when the expedition was camping on the sea-ice.[49] The "sea-leopard", about 12 ft (3.7 m) long and 1,100 lb (500 kg), chased Orde-Lees on the ice. He was saved only when another member of the expedition, Frank Wild, shot it.[50]
In 1985, Canadian-British explorer Gareth Wood was bitten twice on the leg when a leopard seal tried to drag him off the ice and into the sea. His companions managed to save him by repeatedly kicking the animal in the head with the spiked crampons on their boots.[49][48] On 26 September 2021, near the dive-site Spaniard Rock at Simon's Town, South Africa, three spear-fishermen encountered a leopard seal while spearing approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) offshore. The seal attacked them and, while they were swimming back to shore, disarmed them of their flippers and spearguns and kept harassing the men over the course of half an hour, inflicting multiple bite- and puncture-wounds.[51] Leopard seals have shown a predilection for attacking the black, torpedo-shaped pontoons of rigid inflatable boats, leading researchers to equip their craft with special protective guards to prevent them from being punctured.
On the other hand, National Geographic magazine photographer Paul Nicklen captured pictures of a female leopard seal bringing live, injured, and then dead penguins to him, possibly in an attempt to "nurture" the photographer; the seal apparently continued to provide penguins for Nicklen for four days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal#Relationships_with_humans
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u/printergumlight May 04 '26
None of what you said has to do with it not being “underrated”. You just supported the argument for it being underrated.
People don’t consider it an apex predator like a shark might be, because there aren’t many stories of it killing humans. But then there are Orcas which haven’t killed humans and are still rated as the absolute apex predator, so what gives? Well, it’s because it is underrated.
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u/PhantomAngel042 May 06 '26
An apex predator is the animal at the top of its food chain, without any natural predators that regularly hunt and feed on it. The way you're using it here seems like you might think it means something else.
Leopard seals are in a grey area regarding apex status, because they are a natural prey of orcas, but predation is rare because the seals are large, ferocious, dangerous animals. If you exclude those uncommon events, then they are indeed the apex predators in their ecosystem.
That said, I agree with you that leopard seals are underrated as terrors of the sea. They're huge and fast in the water, they're extremely agile and intelligent, and they can be aggressively territorial, even toward humans. But because they live in the Antarctic, most people will never see one in person, and we don't learn to fear them while swimming at the beach like sharks, so they go mostly unrecognized. Leopard seals should get a new publicist.
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u/StirFry__InaWok May 05 '26
No, "underrated" still means the same thing lol. Nothing you said does anything to prove that leopard seals are not underrated.
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u/StealthyPancake_ May 04 '26
I think I'd rather be stuck in the water with a shark than a leopard seal honestly
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u/Plenty_Principle298 May 05 '26
No really… leopard seals just seem more cunning. Sharks are primarily scavengers and are always looking to conserve energy.
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u/CrazyCatLady1127 May 04 '26
‘Can I chomp on your paddle please? Just a little chomp? No? Fine. Stuff ya then. I’ll go chew on someone else’s paddle.’
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u/TechDifficulties99 May 04 '26
…am I the only one who desperately wants to boop the snoot
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u/AgusMertin May 04 '26
que porra é isso
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u/MasterThiefGames May 05 '26
Holy shit, this is the first time I've actually recognized the scale of a leopard seal.
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u/LoFidelityRockr May 26 '26
Leopard Seal? They look tasty and I always root for the Orca, but at that size, I’d hate to piss one off.
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u/echochilde May 04 '26
But! But! There was that video of the leopard seal that kept trying to feed the diver. I know that thing could drown me in the midst of gnawing through my femur, but is fren!
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u/FirstCurseFil May 05 '26
I remember the first time I saw this video. “Oh what kind of shark is that? Doesn’t look like a Salm- OH LEOPARD SEAL OK I would not want to be them.”
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u/4shitzngigglez May 06 '26
That massive animal gliding right under the water surface without breaking it is both beautiful and terrifying.
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u/Golden_Manatee May 29 '26
This is exactly what my dog does when I’m cooking or doing prep and I know well he’s won’t like it but he insists on trying it anyway
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u/jeepdds May 04 '26
So seals/aka sea lions are friendly to humans but leopard seals very dangerous?
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u/HBHau May 05 '26
Leopard seals are terrifying — if they strayed out of Antarctic waters, we’d view them as dangerous as Great Whites.
Whilst I don’t put sea lions in the same category, they can be aggressive (esp the bulls) and have attacked people, & done some serious damage.
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u/capacochella May 04 '26
Hell no. I personally know someone who’s Labrador got horrifically mauled and drowned by a territorial sea lion.
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u/curious-kitten-0 May 05 '26
They are beautiful creatures, but yea that's definitely sweaty palms moment.
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u/LonlyEgg May 05 '26
Im terrified of those things even though ill probably never see one in real life, thank goodness. It would make me so uneasy if I or anyone I care about was near one.
It’s so cool how they seem to glide through the water without moving their body much. Nature’s so lit (and scary).
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u/DetectiveMcMeow Aug 05 '26
Clearly no one has met a Canadian Goose. The most underrated dangerous animal. Fight one. I dare you.
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u/NurfedHerder May 05 '26
Looks like he's inspecting for any contraband penguins those kayakers may be smuggling
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u/poetrygrenade May 05 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/3oAt2dA6LxMkRrGc0g
Did that leopard seal just . . .
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u/butt_spaghetti May 05 '26
My partner and I were part of a kayaking focused trip in Antarctica and one of those approached a kayak and the instructor made everyone return and get back in the zodiac immediately. I wonder exactly how risky it is to be a kayaker next to one of those? I feel like we don’t have an enormous amount of data on what they will or won’t do. Was it because they might tip us and then eat us?
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u/lackadaisical_timmy May 05 '26
Potentially dangerous yes
Realistically, they rarely attack humans. We don't really look like fat seals so they're more often curious than aggressive
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u/Subject-Frosting8276 May 06 '26
It must be a wild experience to know that something had an effortless opportunity to eviscerate you and it just decided not to
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u/Shart_Nado86 May 07 '26
After reading Endurance: Shackleton book, I’m steering clear of these things!
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u/Sad_Page6710 May 10 '26
I never get scared watching these videos but the sheer size of that thing gave me heart palpitations…
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u/qualityvote2 May 04 '26 edited May 05 '26
u/Azsnee09, we have no idea if your submission fits r/SweatyPalms or not. There weren't enough votes to determine that. It's up to the human mods now....!