User:Kmorris2014/sandbox

Article Evaluations

• Article topic: Leopard Seals
  • This article did a good job outlining the basic characteristics of Leopard seals
  • However, certain sections are lacking information, or are shorter than previous sections (ex. Description section and Life section)
  • Also, there are some minor spelling errors, and lack of resources (could use more research and published scientific literature)
  • There is also a lack of their feeding and mating habits mentioned in this article
  • It just kind of seems "half done" in the sense of some of the information provided in the article
  • There could be improvements made to this article by including: a section on future scientific discoveries/research being done on Leopard seals, a section on their diet/feeding patterns, more information included in the Life History Section and Description section, and add some more reputable sources to the article

Article:

Characteristics:

The leopard seal has a distinctively long and muscular body shape, when compared to other seals. This species of seal is known for its massive head and jaws that allow it to be one of the top predators in its environment. A notable key feature of leopard seals are their counter-shaded coats. A counter-shaded coat is when the dorsal side of the coat is darker, than ventral side. So, in leopard seals they have a silver to dark gray blended coat that make up its distinctive "leopard" coloration that make a spotted pattern. Whereas, the ventral side of the coat are paler in color- ranging from white to light gray. Females are slightly larger than the males. The overall length of this seal is 2.4–3.5 m (7.9–11.5 ft) and weight is from 200 to 600 kilograms (440 to 1,320 lb). They are about the same length as the northern walrus, but usually less than half the weight.

Another notable characteristic of leopard seals are their short clear vibrissae that are used for sensory input of their environment. Since, leopard seals have an enormous gape relative to their body size- scientists have a clear understanding of their dentition. Its front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but its molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water, in the manner of the crabeater seal.