The Antarctica Peninsula
The last century brought sweeping changes to whale populations here in the Antarctic Peninsula. Though it comprises only 10 percent of the world’s oceans, the Southern Ocean has historically been habitat for over 50 percent of all the biomass of marine mammals worldwide. During the 1900’s commercial whaling began and then flourished here in the peninsula from both shore-based and ship-based whale harvesting operations. The numbers of whales killed and processed is absolutely staggering, with the final count coming to more than two million animals taken by whalers in this 100 year time period. To put that number in perspective is difficult, but it equates to almost 55 whales being killed in the Southern Ocean each and every day of the year for each and every year of the 20th century!
The humpback whale was one of the very first whales targeted by whalers here in Antarctica. Humpbacks come to these bountiful waters to feed on krill and small schooling fishes during the austral spring and summer months. They are relatively slow swimming whales that prefer shallow waters and near shore habitats so of course were easy pickings for earlier shore-based whalers to exploit. Though population estimates for humpback whales in Antarctica prior to being extensively whaled are speculative, we do know from whale catch records that over 200,000 humpback whales perished at the hands of the whaling industry before they were protected here in the mid 1960’s.
So how inspirational and uplifting it was this afternoon to see a mother humpback whale with her newborn calf frolicking in the sea near Neko Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula. This calf was probably born in August or September of this year, most likely off the west coast of South America. As a two-month old whale it made the swim to the Antarctic Peninsula beside its mother, growing larger and larger every day from her fat rich milk, even as the waters they swam in became colder and colder upon approaching the Southern Ocean. These humpback whales have completed one of the longest migrations of any mammal anywhere on our planet.
So too have those on board the National Geographic Explorer traveled great distances to be in this part of the world at this magical time of the year. Are we really so different from this mother humpback whale? In the end we are probably more alike than unalike.
Our afternoon was capped off by a visit to the continent itself. Until this point we had explored many of the islands surrounding the peninsula, but at Waterboat Point we actually set foot on the continent proper. We were greeted at the Chilean Military base Gabriel Gonzales Videla by sixteen military personnel who warmly welcomed us to their summer abode. The station itself was surrounded by gentoo penguins but one penguin stuck out in particular. It was a rare leucistic, or isabelline, gentoo adult sitting on a nest in the middle of all the “normally” colored adults surrounding it. A leucistic penguin is one lacking normal amounts of melanin and thus appearing very pale or almost white in its plumage. Once we were all safely back on the ship we headed north to begin our return to South America across the dreaded Drake Passage. Stay tuned for more updates!
The last century brought sweeping changes to whale populations here in the Antarctic Peninsula. Though it comprises only 10 percent of the world’s oceans, the Southern Ocean has historically been habitat for over 50 percent of all the biomass of marine mammals worldwide. During the 1900’s commercial whaling began and then flourished here in the peninsula from both shore-based and ship-based whale harvesting operations. The numbers of whales killed and processed is absolutely staggering, with the final count coming to more than two million animals taken by whalers in this 100 year time period. To put that number in perspective is difficult, but it equates to almost 55 whales being killed in the Southern Ocean each and every day of the year for each and every year of the 20th century!
The humpback whale was one of the very first whales targeted by whalers here in Antarctica. Humpbacks come to these bountiful waters to feed on krill and small schooling fishes during the austral spring and summer months. They are relatively slow swimming whales that prefer shallow waters and near shore habitats so of course were easy pickings for earlier shore-based whalers to exploit. Though population estimates for humpback whales in Antarctica prior to being extensively whaled are speculative, we do know from whale catch records that over 200,000 humpback whales perished at the hands of the whaling industry before they were protected here in the mid 1960’s.
So how inspirational and uplifting it was this afternoon to see a mother humpback whale with her newborn calf frolicking in the sea near Neko Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula. This calf was probably born in August or September of this year, most likely off the west coast of South America. As a two-month old whale it made the swim to the Antarctic Peninsula beside its mother, growing larger and larger every day from her fat rich milk, even as the waters they swam in became colder and colder upon approaching the Southern Ocean. These humpback whales have completed one of the longest migrations of any mammal anywhere on our planet.
So too have those on board the National Geographic Explorer traveled great distances to be in this part of the world at this magical time of the year. Are we really so different from this mother humpback whale? In the end we are probably more alike than unalike.
Our afternoon was capped off by a visit to the continent itself. Until this point we had explored many of the islands surrounding the peninsula, but at Waterboat Point we actually set foot on the continent proper. We were greeted at the Chilean Military base Gabriel Gonzales Videla by sixteen military personnel who warmly welcomed us to their summer abode. The station itself was surrounded by gentoo penguins but one penguin stuck out in particular. It was a rare leucistic, or isabelline, gentoo adult sitting on a nest in the middle of all the “normally” colored adults surrounding it. A leucistic penguin is one lacking normal amounts of melanin and thus appearing very pale or almost white in its plumage. Once we were all safely back on the ship we headed north to begin our return to South America across the dreaded Drake Passage. Stay tuned for more updates!
