Animals of Antarctica

                                                                             

PENGUINS:

We saw four types of penguins while we were traveling in Antarctica.

The Chinstrap Penguin:

The Chinstrap penguin got its name because of the distinct black line around its chin. They grow to be about 2 feet tall and weigh around 13 pounds. Their flippers are black with white edges.  

The Adelie Penguin:

The Adelie penguin is recognized by it all black head.  They grow to be 3 and a half feet and weigh about 13 pounds.  Their bodies are mostly black with white stomachs. 

The Gentoo Penguins:

The common way to know if a penguin is a Gentoo is when it has little white "earmuffs" on its head. They weigh 18 pounds and are the fastest swimming penguins reaching speeds up to 22 mph. Their bodies are black and white and they have an orange beak with black patches on the sides near their faces.  

The Emperor Penguin:

The Emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin species we saw in Antarctica.  They reach 4 feet tall and weigh about 50-100 pounds.  Only one in every ten trips to Antarctica sees an Emperor penguin.  This is because they live fifteen miles inland and must walk to the ocean to feed.  Their bodies are grey while their heads are black.  They have yellow and orange on their necks.     

   

 SEALS

Weddell Seal:

Male Weddell seals weigh less than female Weddell seals. So males usually weigh about 1100 pounds or less. Weddell seals measure about 8.2-11.5 ft long and weigh between 880-1360 pounds. Male and female Weddell seals are generally about the same size, though females can be slightly larger. However, male seals tend to have a thicker neck and a broader head and muzzle than the females. 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. Their upturned mouths that give them the appearance of smiling.

The Weddell seal grows a thin fur coat around their whole body except for small areas around the flippers. The colour and pattern of the coat varies, often fading to a duller colour as the seal ages. This coat moults around the beginning of summer. Adults are generally brown, with lighter belly. They are mottled with large darker and lighter patches, those on the belly being silvery white. Adult males usually bear scars, most of them around the genital region.

Young Weddell seals have gray pelage for the first 3 to 4 weeks; later they turn a darker color. The pups reach maturity at 3 years of age. The pups are around half the length of their mother at birth, and weigh 55 to 66 pounds. They gain around 4.4 pounds a day, and by 6–7 weeks old they can weigh around 220 pounds.

Elephant Seals:

Elephant seals take their name from the large proboscis of the adult males (bulls) which resembles an elephant's trunk. The bull's proboscis is used in producing extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating season. More importantly, however, the nose acts as a sort of rebreather, filled with cavities designed to reabsorb moisture from the animals' exhalations. This is important during the mating season when the male seals rarely leave the beach to feed and therefore must conserve body moisture as they have no incoming source of water. Bulls of both the northern and the southern elephant seals reach a length of 16 feet and a weight of 6,600 pounds, and are much larger than the cows, which typically measure about 10 feet and 2,000 pounds.

Leopard Seals:

The leopard seal is large and muscular, with a dark grey back and light grey on its stomach. Its throat is whitish with the black spots that give the seal its common name. Females are generally slightly larger than the males on average. The overall length of this seal is 7.9-11.7 ft and weighs  from 440 to 1,300 pounds. They are about the same length as the northern walrus but usually less than half the weight.

Its front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but its molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water, in the manner of the crab-eater seal.

Humpback Whales:

The varying patterns on the tail flukes are sufficient to identify individuals. Humpback whales are gentle giants of the deep.  The underside of their flippers are white, so when we watched them we could see where they were in the water.