As emperor penguins return from the seas to feed their young, the other
is free to go to sea to feed for itself. But – as David
Attenborough narrates in this archive video clip from the 2001 BBC documentary series
Blue Planet – dramatic scenes unfold
as the penguins hesitate at the edge of the Antarctic sea ice, a leopard seal on
the prowl in the waters just below.

Emperor
penguins are excellent swimmers, but leopard seals – some of Antarctica’s top predators – are known for being
fearsome hunters.

According to the International Association of Antarctica Tourism
Operators, more than 35,000 people visited the white continent during the
2012-2013 season. During the tourist
season, the summer months of November
to March, leopard seals spend almost all of their time in the water, hunting among the ice just off shore.

All week, BBC Travel is running archive BBC Earth clips to celebrate more
than 50 years of natural history film making by Sir David Attenborough! For more
natural history exclusives, check out the BBC Earth YouTube channel or
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