Tiger seal

Tiger seals live on the icy bays of the Southern Water Tribe. When Aang was released from the iceberg and the beam of light sprang up into the air, the tiger seals suddenly reacted with a howl in unison. Tiger seals are a food source for the Southern Water Tribe, and are the main ingredient in blubbered seal jerky.

Anatomy
Tiger seals have facial features that are predominantly feline, with cat-like ears, snout and whiskers. The rest of the animal resembles a seal, with flippers, a sleek body and a tail. Adult tiger seals appear to be approximately five to six feet in length and are gray with a pattern of lateral black stripes along their bodies and heads. Pups have the same markings as their parents, but appear to be only about two to three feet in length.

Connection
Tiger seals resemble both tigers and seals, aesthetically. Seals have large flippers as forelimbs and their bodies are streamlined, narrowing into a substantial tail. The creatures are a play on real-life leopard seals.

Behavior
Tiger seals are aquatic creatures native to the South Pole region. The markings enable them to hide their numbers while in the water when hunting for fish. These animals prefer to lie together in large masses and howl loudly when disturbed. Their main prey are otter penguins.

Trivia

 * In "Avatar Extras", they were mistakenly referred to as zebra seals, a possible relative.