Antarctic fur seals catching King penguins at sea – Video

King penguins are predated by fur seals.

During our 20 days survey in 2008, we observed 17 penguins being attacked and either severely injured or killed and eaten. Only adult male seals were seen catching king penguins successfully. Some adult females and sub-adults also attempted to catch penguins, either at sea or in land, and so did sub Antarctic fur seals individuals. The results confirm the ability of fur seals to catch and predate large seabirds, even at sea.

Although early studies had indicated that AFS may attack but not eat penguins (Fischer and Hureau 1988), more recent evidence (e.g., Casaux et al. 1998) from diet concluded that penguins were indeed a food resource for AFS, but the penguin species could not be identified. Despite that it is known that AFS feed upon king penguins on land (Hofmeyr and Bester 1993; de Bruyn et al. 2008), our observations add strength to the unique similar predation documented in the water (Hofmeyr and Bester 1993).