A leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) catches an Adelie penguin in the icy waters off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula near Gourdin Island. Leopard seals - also called sea leopards - are the second largest species of seals in Antarctica. Their latin name "Hydrurga" means "water worker". They patrol the waters near the edges of the ice, almost completely submerged, and wait for a penguin to enter the ocean. The leopard seal then grabs its prey and kills it by shaking the penguin vigorously and beating it against the surface of the water repeatedly.

Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) can only be found on the Antarctic coast. They are one of the most southernly living of all seabird species. After they were first discovered in 1840, they were named after the wife of a French explorer, hence the name Adelie. Their swimming speed mounts up to an eight km per hour.