Blogs from Antarctica, Antarctica - page 30

One afternoon in 2002 some of the zodiacs took a short tour from Neko Harbour but noticed that others were hovering around close to the ship. What was encouraging them to circle around in that somewhat erratic manner? It soon became apparent as we approached that there was a minke whale there flirting with the zodiacs. We had already experienced some social interaction with humpback whales when we were on board ship, but this was clearly something new. It would surface and blow and then show us its dorsal fin. Then it would slowly roll so you could see its white underbelly and it would dip under the zodiac and slowly disappear. Everybody is craning their necks to see where it will emerge next and it always appears in the most unexpected place. In due ... read more

Hydrurga is the Latin generic name for the leopard seal and there were certainly leopard seals in the water at Hydrurga Rocks. In fact, they seemed to be interested in the zodiacs and followed us into the bay and swam about off-shore for perhaps half an hour. They were no doubt there because there was a chinstrap penguin colony a few hundred metres from where we landed and the chinstraps were well aware of their presence. There were also several dozen fur seals, their external ears being evident, which mostly lay around doing nothing unless they felt that one had encroached on their territory. Then they reared up on their flippers and barked and one could see into the surprising pinkness of their mouths. We also saw the occasional Weddell seal in 2002 and particularly ... read more

When we called at Cuverville Island in 2002 there were large areas of moss banks on the steep slopes above the penguin rookery. In the extreme conditions on the Antarctic Peninsular these plants can only grow a few millimetres a year but, even so, we did see some moss growing on a wind-swept ridge. The problems they face are extremely low temperatures, dehydration and low light levels. These problems are at a minimum on north-facing slopes where there is some run-off from melting snow. Even here at zero degrees, which is a relatively warm day for Antarctica, the efficiency of photosynthesis drops to 30% to 40% of its maximum but the effect on metabolism - that is the conversion of the sugars produced by photosynthesis into amino acids and other useful products - is even ... read more

Renowned Penguin Expert Joins 2009 Voyage to the Great White Continent (Santiago, Chile) --- Dyan deNapoli, a penguin expert from the New England Aquarium in Boston known as “The Penguin Lady,” will present a series of lectures aboard The Antarctic Dream’s January 8, 2009 voyage to Antarctica. The Antarctic Dream, a 78 person capacity expedition cruise ship celebrated for its longtime service in the Chilean Navy, offers ideal expeditions to Antarctica, taking in the most exciting sights of the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. For more information on this unique excursion to the Great White Continent featuring lectures from “The Penguin Lady”, visit www.antarctic.cl or call 1-877-AD TRIPS. Dyan deNapoli has worked closely with penguins at the New England Aquarium in Boston and in the wild for nine years. During that time, she was ... read more

A pale light seeped into the cramped bedroom from under the door. There was just enough light for John to see Patricia's pale, drawn face, if he were to have looked. But John didn't look. John stood stiffly in the middle of the room, hands on the back of his desk chair, staring out the window into the blackness. "What are we going to do now?" he asked. After a moment, Patricia, nearly hidden beneath the comforter said, "I don't know. I don't want this to happen any more than you do." John turned around slowly and stood facing the bed. He peered towards the outline of Patricia's face. Trying with all his might to be calm for her, he said, "Baby, I know you tried. I know." Soft sobbing came from the bed and John ... read more