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Despite the ecological importance of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) as apex marine predators, little is known about their reproductive biology. To address this paucity, we reviewed leopard seal birth and pup records and applied a standardised age-class classification system to differentiate between births/newborns (offspring ≤ 14 days old) and pups (> 14 days but <  6 months old). We compiled 19 birth/newborn and 141 pup records and examined their occurrence by month, region, substrate, birth-specific attributes (i.e. birth observations, fresh umbilicus or placental), standard length, weight, presence of mother, presence of lanugo, sex, status (e.g. born alive) and fate. These records indicate that leopard seal births occur between September and December, with peak records from September to November, whilst pup records peaked between August and December. The regions with the most birth/newborn records were the sub-Antarctic Islands (31.6%) and Chile (31.6%), followed by Antarctica (15.8%), New Zealand (15.8%) and the Falkland Islands (5.3%). Pups were recorded predominantly in the sub-Antarctic Islands (54.6%), followed by the Antarctic (42.6%), Chile (2.1%) and Australia (0.7%). Whilst leopard seal birth records were predominantly on ice, they were also found on terra firma. The northernmost published leopard seal birth records occurred in New Zealand whilst the northernmost published leopard seal pup records occurred in Australia. This study contradicts the long-standing hypothesis that leopard seals only give birth on Antarctic pack ice, and instead, here we indicate that 84.2% and 57.4% of collated leopard seal birth and pup records, respectively, occur outside of Antarctica. Our records illustrate the importance of northern regions as part of the leopard seal’s range. We emphasise the need to conduct research focused on the reproductive biology of this keystone species throughout its range and that future management of leopard seal populations should also consider their northern range.

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Discussing the process from death to display for two significant Rāpoka, leopard seals, (Hydrurga leptonyx) undertaken as preservation projects by the Otago Museum. The first of these is a large female which died within the takiwa (district) of Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki in 2008. This seal was significant in the sense that it was the first marine mammal preservation project undertaken by the museum in collaboration with local iwi in the following the Ngāi Tahu Treaty of Waitangi settlement, where iwi regained the management rights of kā kararehe o takaroa (marine mammals) remains within the Marine Mammal Protection Act framework. This preservation project became a successful model for collaboration between iwi, government wildlife organisations, researchers and the museums when a marine mammal dies in the Otago Region. In 2017 the death of a neonate leopard seal pup, significant given its birth on St Kilda Beach, Dunedin within the takiwa of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou sees the Otago Museum working to preserve this important leopard seal. This talk discusses the parallels and differences between the two projects, the importance of collaboration, recent applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanning preservation methods as well as using more traditional methods of taxidermy and skeltonisation. The guiding principles have been to preserve voucher information for the future, educate visitors about this Antarctic species, to expose our local community to the ongoing links between Māori and the natural world, and to demonstrate how wildlife management, science, museums and practitioners in indigenous knowledge can successfully collaborate in the practical and interpretive context of curation.