Mar 9

Mar 9 Wildlife in Antarctica

Antarctica is known for it’s abundant wildlife. Penguins, whales, seals, and sea birds. I have been all over the world and Antarctic blew my mind with how many penguins and other wildlife we saw each day. We were lucky enough to have a photographer with us for the entire trip capturing photos of the wildlife and travelers exploring the islands.

Penguins:

Every Island we landed on or viewed from a Zodiac had penguins on it. We were able to experience Adelie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo penguins during our many landings. Our first landing was on Paulet island and we saw over 200,000 Adelie penguins in the colony. I knew were were going to see penguins but had no idea it was going to be at this volume. We also arrived at the perfect time as many of the penguin eggs had hatched the week before we arrived. There were fluffy baby penguins everywhere.

*Photo Credits to Morgane Lanco Photographer for Le Studio Ponant.*

Seals:

Seals were the laziest animals I encountered on this trip. They perched on rocks, snow, and volcanic sand. I was able to spot Weddell, Crabeater, Leopard, and Elephant seals. The Elephant seals were a big surprise as they don’t usually come up that far north. The excitement was there when our zodiac landed on Deception Island.

Whales:

While I was in Antarctica I think whales were spotted everyday. I have very few photos of them as I never near my camera when the captain would point them out from the bridge. Thank goodness the ship photographer was able to capture some of the moments. I spotted Humpback, Fin, and Mink whales. I even was able to watch a few humpback whales feeding by using bubble netting. I also saw this while I was in Alaska.

Photo Credits to Morgane Lanco Photographer for Le Studio Ponant.

Sea Birds:

I was surprised by how many birds were in Antarctica, even more surprised how many birds were in the Drake Passage miles from land. Albatross cruised along with the wake of the ship as we got closer to Antarctica. I also encountered Imperial Cormorant, Giant Petrel, Brown Skua, and Snowy Sheathbills. Imperial Cormorants were the most confusing as they blended in with the penguins. It was always shocking to see a “penguin” fly away until you remember that penguins can’t fly and this was a bird.

If you are interested in wildlife and adventure, Antarctica might be the perfect place for you. This was one of the most immersive wildlife experience I have been on. I still can’t believe I was there and saw these animals so close. It is an experience I will never forget.