A diver has captured the first underwater images of the incredibly rare Ross seal.
The images were taken by US underwater photographer Justin Hofman. The images of the elusive seal are a massive coup for the photographer, since the animal inhabits some of the most remote and inaccessible pack ice on the planet.
The Ross seal is the smallest of the Antarctic true seals and the sole member of its genus. Estimates suggest it accounts for no more than about 1 percent of the region’s seal populations. However, thankfully, it is currently assessed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.
The Ross seal is characterised by large eyes and a solitary disposition. Typically, they reach around 2.3 meters/7.5ft in length and can live up to two decades. While Ross seals are born and breed on dense, hard-to-reach pack-ice, they spend much of their time foraging in the open ocean.
They are accomplished divers, making more than a hundred dives a day and plunging to depths approaching 300 meters/1000ft while hunting squid and fish that form the bulk of their diet.
Hofman has been polar diving on various expeditions since 2008. During that time, he has worked as an undersea specialist, photographer, expedition guide, and divemaster on multiple expeditions.
Commenting on his images, Hofman stated:
“This animal lives so deep within the Antarctic pack-ice that its life history is not very well understood, and it is not seen very often. In 15 seasons of working in Antarctica, I have seen only two Ross seals, and this is the second one. I didn’t think about it in the way that someone thinks about a goal or a target subject – I never thought that it was an actual possibility.”
