Dakota Reflections
Antarctica is the fifth largest continent. Nearly all of Antarctica is covered by a ice sheet which averages 1 mile thick. Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on earth.
Leopard seals are a top preditor in Antarctica feeding on krill, fish, penguins and young seals. Females are larger than males and can grow to nearly 13 feet long and can weigh over 1300 pounds. Their reptilian head gives them a frightening appearance but they tend to be more inquisitive than aggressive although they have occassionally attacked inflatable boats.
Crabeater seals are the most common seal in the world and live in the waters around Antarctica. They are very social and can be found in large groups. Weddell seals are also common, the most southern living mammal and can dive for up to 80 minutes.
Adelie penguins are found only in Antarctica. They build nest of small stones and have two eggs which the parents take 12 hour shifts in incubating for 1 month.
The 2014 trip to Argentina, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica was the best journey I will ever make.
Antarctica
Icebergs
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Adelie Penguin
Neko Harbor, Antarctica
November 29, 2014
The Adélie is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor penguin, is the most southerly distributed of all penguins. It is named after Adélie Land, in turn named for Adèle Dumont d'Urville, who was married to French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who first discovered this penguin in 1840. Adélie penguins obtain their food by both predation and foraging, with a diet of mainly krill and fish. Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (1790 – 1842) was a French explorer and naval officer who explored Antarctica. Adèle Dumont d'Urville (1798 – 1842) was his wife. They had at least four children from the marriage, but none survived to adulthood. She died with her husband and son Jules in a railroad derailment at Meudon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad%C3%A9lie_penguin
Icebergs
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Adelie Penguin
Neko Harbor, Antarctica
November 29, 2014
Adelie Penguin
Petermann Island, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Gentoo Penguin
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Gentoo Penguins
Petermann Island, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Gentoo Penguin
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Chinstrap Penguin
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
The diet of the chinstrap penguin consists of small fish, krill, shrimp, and squid, for which they swim up to 80 km (50 mi) offshore each day to obtain. The chinstrap penguin's tightly packed feathers provide a waterproof coat, enabling it to swim in freezing waters. Additionally, thick blubber deposits and intricate blood vessels in the flippers and legs assist in the preservation of heat. The main predator of the chinstrap penguin at sea is the leopard seal. Every year, the leopard seal causes the chinstraps population to decrease by about 5% to 20%. On land, the brown skua, south polar skua, and southern giant petrel are the primary predators of the penguin. These three species most often prey on eggs and young chinstrap penguins. The Antarctic fur seal is also known to occasionally kill chinstrap penguins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinstrap_penguin
Chinstrap Penguins
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
Chinstrap Penguins
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
Chinstrap Penguin
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
Chinstrap Penguins
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
Snowy Sheathbill
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
November 27, 2014
Blue-eyed Cormorant
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Leopard Seal
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
The leopard seal is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It’s only natural predator is the orca. It feeds on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, fish, and birds, particularly penguins. Its closest relatives are the Ross seal, the crabeater seal and the Weddell seal, which together are known as the tribe of Lobodontini seals. The leopard seal has a distinctively long and muscular body shape when compared to other seals, but it is perhaps best known for its massive jaws, which allow it to be one of the top predators in its environment. The front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but their molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water in the manner of the crabeater seal. The coat is counter-shaded with a silver to dark gray blend and a distinctive spotted "leopard" coloration pattern dorsally and a paler, white to light gray color ventrally. Females are slightly larger than males. The overall length of adults is 2.4–3.5 m (7.9–11.5 ft) and weight is from 200 to 600 kilograms (440 to 1,320 lb) making them the same length as the northern walrus but usually less than half the weight. The whiskers are short and clear. Leopard seals are pagophilic ("ice-loving") seals, which primarily inhabit the Antarctic pack ice between 50˚S and 80˚S.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal
Leopard Seal
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Leopard Seal
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
Weddell Seal
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
The Weddell seal is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases. Weddell seals measure about 2.5–3.5 m (8 ft. 2 in–11 ft. 6 in) long and weigh 400–600 kg (880–1,320 lb.). They are amongst the largest seals, with a rather bulky body and short fore flippers relative to their body length. Males weigh less than females, usually about 500 kg (1,100 lb.) or less. Male and female Weddell seals are generally about the same length, though females can be slightly larger. However, the male seal tends to have a thicker neck and a broader head and muzzle than the female. A molecular genetic based technique has been established to confirm the sex of individuals in the laboratory. The Weddell seal face has been compared to that of a cat due to a short mouth line and similarities in the structure of the nose and whiskers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weddell_seal
Crabeater Seals
Pleneau Bay, Antarctica
November 30, 2014
The crabeater seal, also known as the krill-eater seal, is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are medium- to large-sized (over 2 m in length), relatively slender and pale-colored, found primarily on the free-floating pack ice that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure. Despite its name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. As well as being an important krill predator, the crabeater seal's pups are an important component of the diet of leopard seals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crabeater_seal
Orca
Southern Atlantic Ocean
November 26, 2014