5:24 AM, March 3rd
somewhere in Antarctica
WHAT? a sail boat? marooned?
OFD's photo from her morning excursion. She learned that smaller vessels carrying up to 12 people explore the bays and islands. BUT, they also must cross the Drake Passage, and their trip through those waters takes 4 days each way. Sometimes, people hire these vessels for hiking, camping or even skiing in Antarctica. It moved on from the bay and we did not see it again.
guano and lichen
Can you spot the Leopard Seal?
there were several of them resting on ice flows
seen in the afternoon, near the yacht
OFD's photos of the Leopard Seals from her afternoon Zodiac excursion. They were able to get up close and personal.
Leopard seals live in the freezing waters and pack ice of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. They are solitary, pagophilic (ice-loving) creatures often found on ice floes surrounding the Antarctic continent, particularly near penguin colonies.
It takes its name from its spotted coat of gray, white, and black fur, which resembles that of the leopard. Being a true seal, the leopard seal has no external ear, and while it has relatively long fore-flippers, they are not used for movement on ice or land.
The females are larger than the males. Females grow 9.85-11.5 feet and males 9.18 feet. Males weigh as much as 705 pounds and females 815-1,100 pounds. Life span is 12-26 years. Their diet consists of fish, squid, small crustaceans, penguins, small seals, and whale carcasses.
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