The harsh weather conditions and the extreme isolation of Antarctica has been successful in warding off mass human encroachment and are also reasons leading many people to consider this continent as not having any significant life forms. The Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, is one species finding more than enough resources in maintaining a permanent residence along the coastal waters. It can attain a length of 3 meters and weigh as much as 450 kilos. The seal is primarily a circumpolar dweller of the Antarctic continent, but has been found along the shores of the Falkland Islands, Uruguay, Chile, New Zealand, and Southern Australia. For a large mammal such as the Weddell seal to flourish, it must have a reliable food source to insure its survival. The supposed “barren” continent of Antarctica does have sufficient resources for the Weddell seal.
