Sharing

Leopard seals are dangerous loners. They can be 10 feet long and weigh half a ton, and they sometimes attack people -- they’ve killed at least one.Yet they’ve also been known to offer penguins to divers. Some have seen the gesture as a friendly gift, or perhaps as an act of pity for a poor hunter. But British researchers recently came up with another possible explanation: The seal might be trying to get the diver to share a meal -- an act that would make it easier for the seal to consume its dinner.The scientists examined video of three dozen leopard seals at South Georgia Island, in the far-southern Atlantic Ocean. The seals were feeding on king penguins. Hunting in such a large group had never been seen before -- leopard seals usually hunt alone.Even more unusual, a few of the seals were sharing their dinner. Two seals would each be tearing at the penguin as they swam side by side.The researchers said that such behavior could be a case of “go along to get along.” With so much food ar