Leopard seals change their spots in New Zealand, from visitors to permanent residents

Thursday, 3 January 2019

Among the leopard seals seen in New Zealand waters was this visitor to Petone in October.

A scientist trying to work out why the number of leopard seals seen in New Zealand waters is rising also wants the animals reclassified to indicate they're permanent residents, rather than just visitors from the frigid south.

'I want to know why them? Why are they coming north? It's a mystery that needs solving - everything we learn about them is something new,' Niwa cetacean biologist Dr Krista Hupman said.

'Leopard seals are known as a vagrant species, which means New Zealand is well outside their normal range. But despite originating in Antarctic, their numbers keep increasing here.'

Among them is Owha, a familiar sight around the Waitemata Harbour for about six years. She is known to like marinas between Auckland and Whangarei, sleeps on pontoons, and has recently been spotted wallowing among mangroves.

Owha the leopard seal beaching out on a dock at the outboard boating club in Auckland.

Dr Krista Hupman says some leopard seals are now residents here, not just visitors.

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'I believe the status of the species needs to be changed from vagrant to resident given the vast evidence suggesting they are prevalent here and do not always return to Antarctic waters,' Hupman said.

Leopard seals have always been described as an Antarctic species, and considered to be solitary animals distributed widely throughout the pack ice, and the second ranked predator in Antarctica - behind only killer whales.

Hupman and others at LeopardSeals.org - a group of researchers who volunteer their time and are working for greater protection of leopard seals in New Zealand waters - have several papers on leopard seals waiting to be published.

The research will be used to show the animals are a resident species in New Zealand waters.

'Everything we learn about them is new. I feel a big responsibility to get things right because this is the first time this kind of information has been put together. I do like the idea of changing human perception of leopard seals though,' Hupman said.

In the past two years, LeopardSeals.org has put together a database of 2500 leopard seal sightings, involving about 170 animals seen around New Zealand. Some of the sightings date back to the 1860s.

Anyone seeing a leopard seal is asked to report it by calling 0800 LEOPARD (5367273).

'I would encourage anyone with historical or current photos of leopard seals in New Zealand waters to call the hotline and become involved in this research,' Hupman said.

Photographs of the animals were crucial.

'The way we identify and track individual movements over time is by photographing their spot patterns from as many angles of their body as possible.'