Swimming into jaws of death: Incredible photos capture penguin's final moments as it is engulfed by leopard seal's gaping mouth

• Graphic photographs capture the fate of a young penguin stalked by an enormous leopard seal in waters off the Antarctic Peninsula
• The predators lurk the in shallow waters of Port Lockroy where the birds come to play, oblivious to the danger lying beneath the surface
  

By Kerry Mcdermott

Published: 11:18 EDT, 25 January 2013 | Updated: 14:44 EDT, 25 January 2013

From the moment this tiny penguin came face to face with a mighty leopard seal in icy waters off the Antarctic Peninsula, its fate was sealed.

The threatened bird tried in vain to swim away, but the enormous seal attacked with lightning speed, clamping its jaws around the penguin's foot to thwart its escape.

The ravenous seal then dragged its prey further into the depths of the ocean, where it made short work of devouring the spoils of its successful hunt.

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Staring death in the face: The penguin comes face to face with its predator, an enormous leopard seal, in the waters of Port Lockroy off the Antarctic Peninsula

The graphic images were captured in 2009 in the waters of Port Lockroy, a natural harbour on the north-west shore of Wiencke Island, where colonies of penguins are a familiar sight.

Younger birds often venture into the shallow water to play, oblivious to the dangers that can lurk beneath the surface where hunting leopard seals lie motionless, only to strike when an unfortunate penguin unwittingly strays too near.

The seals ambush the penguins, dragging them deeper into the sea by their feet and drowning them.

No escape: The penguin tries to swim for its life, but the leopard seal manages to clamp its jaws around one of the vulnerable bird's webbed feet

Trapped: Young penguins often play in the shallow waters of Port Lockroy, unaware of the danger lurking beneath the surface where mighty leopard seals lie in wait

Lunge: When the young penguins get too close to the muscular leopard seals, the aggressive predators can attack with lightning speed

Feast: The leopard seal fastens its jaws around the penguin. The seals can devour up to 12 of the birds in a single day when they hunt in shallow waters

Ambushed: Leopard seals patrol the water around the edges of the ice at the Antarctic Peninsula, before grabbing the penguins by their feet and shaking the birds vigorously, then dragging their prey into deeper waters to be eaten

'Young penguins go to the shallow water to play and they are not familiar with the leopard seals' ambushing act,' said Amos Nachoum, an Israeli Special Forces officer turned wildlife photographer who captured the incredible shots.

'The leopard seal gets into the shallow bay just before low tide and pretends to be a rock, placing its head in the water,' said Mr Nachoum, 63, who is a keen observer of the muscular predators.

'When the young penguins get too close the leopard snaps with lightning speed, catching a penguin, and in one smooth motion returns back to the deep water and proceeds to the drowning process.'

The seals, also known as sea leopards, then strip the fur and feathers from the birds and devour them.

When hunting in shallow waters, the sharp-toothed mammals can feast on up to 12 penguins in a single day.

More often the leopard seals - the second largest species of seal in the Anarctic - hunt krill, squid and fish in the open sea.

Feeding time: The second largest species of seal in the Antarctic, the sea leopard also feasts on krill, squid and fish, and occasionally other seals like crabeaters

Gaping jaw: A leopard seal attempts to bite a camera as it swims through the icy waters of Port Lockroy

Smile for the camera: The graphic images were captured by a former Israeli Special Forces officer turned wildlife photographer and keen leopard seal observer

VIDEO: The moment a Leopard Seal took on a Gentoo Penguin in the Antarctic