Seals of Antarctica

We had the opportunity to see three types of seals- the weddell seal, elephant seal, and leopard seal.  The big colonies of elephant seals are on South Georgia, so we didn’t get to see those, but we did see two cute young ones hanging out on the rocks by a penguin colony.  We saw a bunch of weddell’s all over the ice and were lucky to spot one leopard seal at the end of the trip.  They are very creepy animals that move like snakes and their heads look like skulls.  I was happy to see them and get a few interesting shots, but for the coolest pictures of leopard seals I’ve ever seen check out Paul Nicklen’s Ted Talk.

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Baby Penguins of Antarctica

We were lucky enough to be there during hatching season and all the babies we saw were just a couple days old!  The moms and dads have a short window to care for them, protect them from predatory birds and teach them to make it on their own then they have to hit the water and refuel.  It was adorable to watch the little guys poke their heads out from beneath their moms and dads.  Watching the regurgitating feeding not so cute, but still pretty interesting!

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Icebergs and Icescapes of Antarctica

The landscapes in Antarctica looked unreal.  When standing alone on the bow watching endless cobalt water and ice unfold in front of me it seems pretty crazy that this is the same planet that holds NYC and all the steel and grey buildings.  The compressed water in the icebergs creates the most gorgeous blue color as it is reflected back through the spectrum of light and makes for beautiful pictures too!  

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