Van der Linde said it is very rare to see predators feeding on other predators, and that could have implications for the food chain. ![]() “It kind of indicates to us so far that leopard seals are opportunistic predators that are coming to New Zealand and feasting on whatever they can get their jaws on.” ![]() The researchers are still in the process of trying to determine whether leopard seals have always feasted on sharks, or if this is also new. The new diet research raises questions for Van der Linde over whether the seals are coming to New Zealand because there is more variation in the diet, and whether climate change could be affecting food sources farther south. Their presence in the country’s waters is becoming more common, and research is trying to ascertain whether this is new, or whether more frequently reported sightings give the illusion there are more. The leopard seals that arrive on New Zealand’s shores are originally from Antarctica. Leopard seals are already known as apex predators, who feed on penguins and other seals, but this is the first time evidence has been produced of them hunting sharks. “When we founded, I knew we were going to find some interesting things, but this is the next-level of incredible,” Van der Linde said. In 2019, a still-working USB stick was found in a one-year-old frozen scat sample. It has the largest collection of leopard seal scat in the world, gathered by researchers and volunteers who comb the coastline collecting it for the project, in a bid to learn more about the rare animals. was set up by Van der Linde and Ingrid Visser, an orca expert, to better protect, educate and research the seals. “There could be something nutritionally about sharks that makes them desirable, it could be sort of a treat for. ![]() Van der Linde is uncertain why the seals are targeting sharks, especially given how risky it is to hunt them. A leopard seal with a shark spine lodged in its face.
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