a rare vagrant from antarctic pack ice
- Size
- Length: 200–250 cm, Weight: 200–300 kg
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Diet
- Carnivorous. Feeds on squid, fish and crustaceans. Hunts in Antarctic waters. Dives to depths of 100–200 metres. A solitary and rarely seen seal, even in its Antarctic habitat.
- Habitat
- Antarctic pack ice and open ocean. In New Zealand, recorded as a vagrant on beaches. Requires cold, subantarctic conditions. Does not breed anywhere near New Zealand.
- Range
- Very rare visitor to New Zealand waters from Antarctica. Most records are from the subantarctic islands. One of the rarest seals to visit New Zealand. A vagrant species.
- Endemism
- Visitor
- Main Threats
- No significant threats in New Zealand waters as it is a very rare visitor. Climate change affecting Antarctic sea ice is the primary global concern for this little-known species.
- Population
- This species is a very rare visitor to New Zealand from Antarctica. Only a handful of records exist. It is one of the least known seals in the world. No formal population assessment exists for New Zealand visitors.
- Conservation Status
- data_deficient
- Human Risk
- caution
- Handling Note
- large seal, moves fast on land bites are severe keep well clear
- Conservation Note
- Rare vagrant seal from Antarctic pack ice; not assessed for conservation status in New Zealand.
- Te Ao Māori
- The Ross seal has no Māori name, as it was never seen by Māori before European exploration of Antarctica. Its rare appearances on New Zealand shores are a modern phenomenon. It is the least known of the Antarctic seals, a solitary creature of the pack ice that most people will never see. To find one on a New Zealand beach is to encounter a mystery, a visitor from a world we are still trying to understand.
The rarest of the Antarctic seals to visit New Zealand waters. A ghost from the ice.
It is named after British explorer James Ross, who led expeditions into the Southern Ocean in the 1840s. It has large eyes and a short, upturned snout, giving it a distinctive, almost curious expression. It is a solitary and elusive seal, rarely seen even in its Antarctic habitat. Scientists know less about the Ross seal than almost any other Antarctic mammal. A seal that keeps its secrets.
The Ross seal's large eyes are an adaptation to deep water. It hunts in the dark, far below the ice, searching for squid and fish. Its upturned snout may help it breathe in rough seas or call in a way that carries through the water. But much about this seal remains a mystery. It does not gather in large colonies like other seals. It does not return to the same breeding sites year after year. It seems to live alone, scattered across the vast pack ice, appearing and disappearing without warning. A seal that is never where it is expected.
When a Ross seal reaches New Zealand, it is a major event. Only a handful of records exist. Each one is a mystery. Why did this seal, of all the seals in Antarctica, swim north? Was it pushed by storms? Was it following food? Was it simply lost? No one knows. The seal stays for a while, rests on the beach, and then vanishes. It may return south, or it may die. Either way, its visit is brief.
The Ross seal is the ghost of the ice, and it is lucky to see it at all. The beach is cold. The seal rests on the sand, large eyes watching, snout upturned. It should be on the ice. It is here instead. No one knows why. It will not say.
It stays for a while, then slips back into the sea. It does not know it is a mystery. It just wanted to rest.