The Ultimate Antarctica Travel Guide by Viva Expeditions

Chimu Exclusive Cruises GENTOOPENGUINS Gentoopenguinshaveadistinctivebright orangebeakanda whitepatcharoundandbehind theeye.Theyar mainly found on theSubAntarctic Islandsandcanmakeasmanyas450 divesper daywhen foraging for krill, theirmaindiet. ANTARCTICAMAP

BLUEWHALES Southernhemisphere 'true' bluewhaleswere reduced fromaround225,000

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pre-exploitationtoprobably lessthan2,000nowandareclassifiedasendangered.They areoneof the fussiest eaters in theAntarctic, usuallyeatingonlyAntarctic krill. SPERMWHALES The name 'sperm' comes fromthe liquidwax called spermaceti located in the whale's head. This substance was once used in lubricants, oil lamps and candles. Spermwhales are the largest toothed whale andcanbe foundanywhere in theopenocean.

SOUTHAFRICA

ATLANTICOCEAN

MINKEWHALES Minke whales grow to nearly 9m long and are about 10 tonnes in weight. They are also very inquisitive animalsandareoftenseenapproachingships.

MADAGASCAR

CHINSTRAPPENGUINS Chinstrapsareoneof themost distinguishableof all penguins.Theyhavea thinblack line running across their cheeksmaking themlook likechin straps.Theyaremedium-size inbuildand usuallybreedonhillsideslopes.

HUMPBACKWHALES Humpbacks are one of themost activewhales, they frequentlybreach, slapping their tailsand fins on thewater surface.They also have the longest annualmigrationof allmammals. ORCAS Orca whales are found almost everywhere throughout the earth's oceans.They catch single prey, ranging from fish, squid, penguins, seals, dolphins, porpoisesandevenwhales.

South Georgia

Heard Island

ARGENTINA

ADÉLIEPENGUINS Adéliesare foundaround theentire coast andsmall islandsof Antarctica.They areexcellent swimmersandhavebeen recordedswimmingas far as 300km to forage for food for their chicks.

South Sandwich Islands

Falkland Islands

Ushuaia

WEDDELL SEA

CHILE

Antarctic Peninsula

Punta Arenas

CRABEATERSEALS Crabeater sealsare themost

MACARONI PENGUINS Macaroni penguins are mostly found on the Sub Antarctic Islands. Their longevity isnotwell known, but estimatedat 20yearsormore. KINGPENGUINS King penguins are the second largest penguin, standing 85–95cm tall. They typically breed in 2 years out of 3, they have no nests and their eggsare incubatedon theadults’ feet.

DRAKE PASSAGE

abundant of all seal species, witha total populationof 15million.They haveslender bodies, longsnouts and their fur ranges fromdarkbrown inwinter toblonde in thesummer.

INDIANOCEAN

ANTARCTICA

LEOPARDSEALS With theexceptionof orcas, leopard sealsareprettymuchat the topof theAntarctic foodchain.Their name comes fromtheir spotted fur, which resembles that of a leopardskin. WEDDELLSEALS Namedafter BritishWhaler James Weddell, this seal is in fact foundall over Antarctica.Weddell seals canswimas deepas800metresandareconsidered oneof thecutest seal species inAntarctica.

EMPERORPENGUINS At 1.1m tall, the emperor penguin towers above any other living penguin on Earth. They are mainly found on the Antarctic mainland and are also the only species to breed in thewintermonths. ROCKHOPPERPENGUINS Their eyes are red and at 50cmare considerably shorter than other penguin species. They often burst fromthewater and landwithabellyflop.

Commonwealth Bay

PACIFICOCEAN

SOUTHERNELEPHANTSEALS The largest of all seals, themalesouthern

Macquaire Island

AUSTRALIA

Campbell Island

elephant seal canweighup tofive tonnes.They arebest foundon theSubAntarctic Islands suchas Macquarie Islandor SouthGeorgia.

Auckland Islands

ROYALPENGUINS Royal penguinsget their name fromtheyellowcrest on their heads.Theonlyplace in theworld that theybreed is Macquarie Islandwhich isalsohome to its largest colony.

TASMANSEA

ANTARCTICFURSEALS Oneof thesmallest of all seals, theAntarctic fur seal is the commonnamegiven to theAntarctic , SubAntarctic andNew Zealand fur seals.Theyhave teeth, whiskers, thick fur andareable towalkonall fours.Theyaredistant relatives todogsandsea lions.

NEWZEALAND

ROSSSEALS By far thehardest seal tosee, theRoss seal livesalmost exclusively in heavypack ice inEast Antarctica.Theyaresolitaryanimalsand their prey, mainly squidandfish, are caught inmidwater at depthsbelowthepack ice.

GIANTPETRELS Southerngiant petrelsbreedon theAntarctic continent, AntarcticPeninsula andonSubAntarctic Islands includingSouthGeorgia, Marionand IlesCrozet.

SUBANTARCTICSKUA They canbe foundon theSubAntarctic Islandsoffthe coastsof Australia, NewZealand, SouthAfricaandSouthAmerica.Their estimated lifespan isapproximately 11 years.

WANDERINGALBATROSS Wanderingalbatrosshaveawhitehead, neckandbody, awedge-shaped tail anda largepink beak.Theyarebest foundofftheSubAntarctic Islandswhich includeMacquarieandSouthGeorgia.

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