The Story Behind the Work
This leopard seal is in a giving mood: She's trying to feed a dead penguin to the photographer.
(Paul Nicklen/National Geographic)
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One of the most striking images in "Life at the Edge: The Big Thaw" features a close-up of a female leopard seal in Antarctic waters. Although the animal's huge jaws could be lethal if she were hungry, and attacks on humans are not unheard of, this particular shot captures the creature just seconds after depositing a dead chinstrap penguin on the head of the photographer, Paul Nicklen, who was swimming nearby. The bird's feet are visible at the top and left of the frame.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]"She's trying to force-feed me," says Nicklen, who got the sense that his "girlfriend," as he jokingly calls her, must have thought that humans were pretty stupid to pass up a perfectly good meal.
