National Geographic photog Paul Nicklen comes face to face with a leopard seal of unusual size.
One seal brought a penguin over to me. I didn’t touch it; I just sat there and photographed. The penguin took off, and the seal grabbed it, brought it back to me, and put it on my camera dome again.
Eventually the seal got upset and started blowing bubbles at me. It was the most fascinating interaction I’ve ever had.
Watch the full video here. And another version here:
Part of me is amazed that an enormous leopard seal could be so kind to another creature…and the other part is annoyed on behalf of the leopard seal. All of me would have been paralyzed with fear.
Still…if someone offers you a penguin, eat it. We are talking common manners here.