In the Pacers Bay, the wind and snow have no effect on the daily life of the seals. The Weddell seals are “selling and selling treasures” as usual, and the female seals are still sleeping, while the male elephant seals continue to be “armed”...
November 28, 2012 sleet coordinates: 62°38′S 60°42′W
Keywords: Walker Bay - Livingston Island
The weather in Antarctica was unpredictable. The sunny days of the past few days were finally over, and the South Pole revealed its true colors. The rain and snow, plus the gusts of magnitude 8.9, so that the cruise did not land on the island of Dieppe, so they turned and headed for the walk to Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. The Bay" sailed.
We completed the final landing of the Antarctic Peninsula in Walker Bay. In 1958, the British Antarctic Geographical Names Board (UK-APC) commemorated the discovery of the South Shetland British voyager John Walker (John Walker). He visited the South Shetland Islands in 1820-21 and provided a detailed description of George Powell, which in 1822 included the map on the southern coast of the Shetland Islands.
The wind and waves are still very big. This is a difficult landing. I replaced the assault boat. The original five or six minutes of the road actually opened for fifteen or six minutes. The rain was mixed with the waves and the head was covered. I held the camera bag and took the head. Buried in the legs, the sea will wet the jacket in a short while, the weather in the Antarctic is really changing, it is not
“Pedestrian Bay” is a colony of seals. When it comes ashore, it is “warmly welcomed” by two or three Weddell seals on the beach. The little guy with a round head seems to have just had a meal, and there are leftover fish next to it. The bones, hearing the movements, cocking their tails, looked up curiously and looked at our uninvited guests, and they looked so cute
However, the loud noise that came from not far attracted me. In the past, it turned out to be a group of elephant seals. The world's largest seals, the southern elephant seals in the southern hemisphere and the northern elephant seals in the northern hemisphere. The entire coast is clearly the territory of these giants, they are 3-6 meters long and weigh up to 3 tons. Because of the estrus period, we are reminded to stay away from these tempered big guys, especially not to go behind it, because elephant seals are most afraid of others cutting off its retreat to the sea, otherwise it will be furious.
I walked cautiously on the beaches covered with hail, with a strong wind of seven or eight, and the rain and snow were still wrapped around, I don’t know what the particles hit the face, and it hurts. However, for the thick and thick guys like seals, it is obviously a small meaning, watching them swim in the nearby sea water, or slumber on the beach, calmly, no worries. In fact, the beastmaster of this finfish has the dual characteristics of a walrus and a seal: it has a round, large head with a pair of outwardly protruding, glass-like eyes and eyes. There are three or four thick and hard hairs on the top. The obese two are decorated with countable beards. The male seal has a long nose that can be stretched. Whenever it is excited or angry, the nostrils are greatly enlarged. The muscles of the whole body collapsed tightly, and the emotions and sorrows were all expressed, and the expression was very rich.
Elephant seals are typical of "polygamy" in the animal kingdom. In order to occupy the site, there is often a cruel battle between the elephant seals. The winner is the king, and there are groups of wives and shackles. The losers find another way out. A male elephant seal has dozens of "wife and wife", so it is necessary to be vigilant against the enemy. This season is a time of struggle between life and death. Only when the two sides are angry, they stand up and support the body firmly by the hind legs. Exercising all his strength, opening his mouth, standing against each other, makin g a loud "squeaky" sound, accompanied by the snoring of the ground, until the battle was bruised and bruised, the skin was fleshy, blood was flowing, the female seals present were just watching, never Help.
In the war of dividing the sphere of influence, the passionate elephant seal likes to show off the weird long nose, constantly roaring, jetting, and nasal congestion, which is extraordinarily inflated and prominent, and emits a "rumbling" squeak, feeling It is used to bluff, there is no practical use, look at the scene in front of you, it is really chaotic, do not look at them almost no natural enemies, but young elephant seals often die in this chaotic disorder like the seal group itself.
The world of wildlife in the Antarctic is far more exciting than the ones seen on TV and magazines.
About Livingston Island: On February 19, 1819, the British captain William Smith sailed to the south of Cape Horn and deviated from his route. He was named after Livingstone. Irregular coastline, South Bay, False Bay, Moon Bay, Hero, Barclay, New Plymouth, Walker Bay (Walker) and so on. There are also many peninsulas, including the Hurd peninsula extending 10 km, the Burgas penal extending 10.5 km, and the Varna peninsula extending 12 km, about 1 hour from the Ioannes Paulus peninsula. 12.8 km, the Byers peninsula is 15 km long. The temperature is relatively stable, less than 3 ° C in summer and -11 ° C in winter. The Hurd Peninsula has the Juan Carlos I Scientific South Antarctic Station established in 1988. In 1993, Bulgaria established the St. Kliment Ochridski Summer Antarctic Scientific Research Base. Chile and the United States established a seasonal Antarctic scientific research base on the eastern side of Shirreff on the Johannes Paul II peninsula in 1991.
Elephant seal