Weddell seal (English spelling) Leptonychotes weddellii; Weddell seal

Japanese: ウェッデルアザラシ（英語表記）Leptonychotes weddellii; Weddell seal

Weddell seals are of the genus Weddell, in the family Phocidae, suborder Pinnipedia, and genus Weddell. Males are about 2.9m long and females about 3.3m long. Their body weight is 400-450kg, but varies seasonally. Their birth length is about 1.5m, and their birth weight is about 29kg. Their fur is yellowish brown or grayish brown, with irregular white or dark spots scattered on them, which may form stripes. Their back, limbs, and face are dark. Their body is long and slender, and their head is small and rounded. Their muzzle is short, with nostrils located at the tip of their snout. Their forelimbs are oar-shaped with pointed tips, and are shaped like fins. Their upper and lower jaws have four incisors, two canines, and ten cheek teeth. Their cheek teeth are sharp, and the upper and lower teeth interlock. Young animals live in groups, but adults prefer to be solitary. The breeding season is from September to November, and mating takes place underwater. They live on fast ice, bore holes in the ice to travel between the sea and above it. In winter, they spend the winter in the sea, where it is warmer, and breathe by drilling holes in the ice. They mainly prey on fish, but also eat small Japanese flying squids and invertebrates. They live in a circumpolar distribution, centered around the ice edge around Antarctica. They travel offshore on drift ice, with the Antarctic Convergence as their limit.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

食肉目鰭脚亜目アザラシ科ウェッデルアザラシ属。体長は雄約 2.9m，雌約 3.3m。体重は 400～450kgであるが，季節的な変動がある。出生体長は約 1.5m，出生体重は約 29kgである。体毛は黄褐色または茶ねずみ色で，白色あるいは濃色の不規則な斑が散在しており，斑が集まって縞 (しま) 模様を呈することもある。背部，四肢，顔面は濃色。体は細長く，頭部は丸みを帯び小さい。鼻口部は短く，鼻孔は吻端に位置する。前肢はオール状で先がとがり，形状は鰭 (ひれ) に近い。上顎と下顎に門歯が各4本，犬歯が各2本，頬歯が各 10本ある。頬歯はとがり，上下の歯が噛み合う。幼獣は群れで行動するが，成獣は単独を好む。繁殖期は9～11月で，交尾は水中で行われる。定着氷の上で生活し，氷に穴を開けて海中と氷上を行き来する。冬は海中のほうが温かいため海中で過し，氷に穴を開けて呼吸する。主として魚類を捕食するが，小型のスルメイカ類や無脊椎動物も食べる。南極大陸周辺の氷縁を中心に周極分布する。南極収束線を限界とし，流氷に乗って沖合いへ移動する。

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