Antarctic Field Guides

7567

Chionodraco hamatus

The characteristic posture of the icefish is “sitting” on the botton kept by its elongate pelvic fins (Montgomery & Macdonald, 1998).

7394

The wandering albatross (also referred to as 'Snowy albatross') is an iconic seabird of the Southern Ocean. This large, almost totally white, seabird is unmistakable as it glides effortlessly for hours around ships.

7390

Balaenoptera musculus

Common name - Blue Whale

Largest of Earth's animals, the majestic Blue whale can be found in all the world's oceans. In summer, they frequent the fringes of the polar ice shelves, moving to tropical and subtropical waters during the winter months. They travel alone or occasionally in pairs, with the larger individuals occuring the farthest south. Once numbering close to 200,000 individuals, Blue whales were heavily exploited for their oil, meat, and baleen duri...View more

7297

Aptenodytes patagonicus

Common name - King penguin

King penguins are the second largest penguins alive today in terms of size and body weight. The largest penguins are the King penguins’ cousins, the emperor penguins. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies King penguins as “Least Concern”.

7100

Arctocephalus gazella

Common name - Antarctic fur seal (Kerguelen fur seal)

Antarctic fur seals are one of the most numerous mammalian predators in the Antarctic. The population was hunted to near extinction at the start of the 20th Century for its pelt. It has subsequently recovered with the current population estimated to be in the region of 3-4 million. Around breeding beaches small groups or individuals can often be seen porpoising through the water and will often stop to investigate ships or small boats. ...View more

7028

Pyura obesa

Yellow or orange and flask-shaped. This large ascidian grows up to 22cm long.

7023

Sycozoa sigillinoides

Usually white-brown in colour. This clearly stalked animal varies from a few to about 10cm long – the stalk is about 5mm diameter. The species is quite flexible and soft to touch, though the lower stalk is more firm and ‘plasticy’. The near transparent zooids can clearly be seen arranged around the common terminal cloaca. Similar species include Sycozoa gaimardi which is known from the magellanic and northern Antarctic Peninsula regions.