Antarctic Seals - A Portrait (Literally)

(click on any photo to enlarge)

From the 450 pound (200 kg) Crabeater Seal to the 8,000 pound (3.6 tons) Southern Elephant Seal, the ocean and shorelines of Antarctica are simmering with seal action. Located somewhere in the middle of the Antarctic food chain (feeding on krill, fish, penguins; eaten by Leopard Seals and by whales) - Seals look innocent, playful, lazy, and sometimes vicious - depending on their type and their mood. Mostly, they really like to nap. If you've never seen a 8,000 pound creature resting comfortably on another one - You haven't appreciated weight.

Resting on floating sea ice and on the shore, with no Polar Bears to be concerned about (see my post Penguins in Alaska? Polar Bears in Antarctica?), it's easy to stumble upon them. They all look similar - with distinctive features based on their type (Crabeater, Weddel, Leopard, Southern Elephant, Ross...). They all have a similar body, at different sizes and colors.  The Southern Elephant Seal, for example, can come in a color collection resembling a candy store!

But get closer, and you begin to wonder whether individual seals have their own personality, as shown by their facial features and the look in their eyes. This time around, I chose to share with you a series of closeup portraits I took of some Antarctic seals in my recent (December 2016) trip there. (In fact, a few of these were shot by my kids who accompanied me) I was fascinated by their looks and became convinced they have a soul. No wonder that in some languages they're called "sea dogs"! What say you?

Ready for a couple dozen photos? Click on any photo to enlarge it. Some browsers will allow you to slide from one photo to the next. Those with iPhone: Reader View is recommended.

Liked this post? Share it with your friends! It's gratifying to see the readership growing

See my post Antarctica and The South Pole..... for more stories and photos

© e kaplan 2016

The Coolest (Coldest?) Bed

(click on any photo to enlarge it)

Birds do it

Seals do it

Why don't I do it?!?

I don't know about you these days, but I'm feeling so hot! What's the story with this summer? It just doesn't end! So I'm sitting here, fantasizing about a cold, comfy bed to find refuge in. And what's better than Pure Antarctic Ice for that? The coolness! The whiteness! The Purity!

I must be losing my mind. It's the heat. Sorry.

Certainly, one of the nice things about traveling in Antarctica (or the Arctic, back in the days when there was still sea ice!) is to watch how the various mammals of the region enjoy the temperature. Our idea of a warm bed is for them, well...

A very cold bed! This seal sure looks like it's having a very good nap. But what about the dreams? Well, how about this "I have a dream, and it's mostly comprised of shrimp" dream?:

Life can be harsh, though. Imagine you spent your night on ice, and then, to warm up, what do you do? Dive into the icy water? Of course. We know that many times the ocean is actually warmer, because sea water that isn't frozen is at about -2C/28F, while it could be much colder outside. Convinced yet? Not this penguin - who stood there for long minutes, contemplating physics and wondering whether it would be a good idea to dive in:

But the best part, for sure, is waking up from the coolest bed and looking out the window. That makes life, and trip to the Antarctic, worth it - Isn't it?

Read my post On Thin Ice to enjoy more of the coolest stuff.

Meet the Whales

(click on any photo to enlarge it)

You don't have to re-read Moby Dick in order to know that the whales, the Kings of the Sea, have always fascinated man. Whales have roamed most of the earth's oceans for ages, and their fat, meat and bones have been an important source of food and raw material.

In this post I'm focusing on whales I've encountered in my trips, mainly in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, but also off the coast of northern British Columbia.

As a rule if thumb, let me say you prefer to see a whale from a distance. Well - at least a certain distance! Jonah can tell you more about that. We'll get back to that important recommendation. But let's start mildly - The extent to which the Whale and mankind history are tied together can be apparent in this picture, taken on Ellesmere Island of a structure that served its inhabitants some 1,200 years ago:

 

The natives of Ellesmere hunted whales for personal or communal consumption, and boy did the use every piece of it - for food, weapons, jewelry, and structures. Only a few unusable bones were left. 

The whales of the Arctic Ocean near Svalbard, north of Norway, were not as lucky. Early books describe the ocean as packed with roaming whales. But in the mid 18th century European hunters discovered the value of their fat - used for oil that energized the early stages of the Industrial revolution - and started slaughtering them in masses, leaving large mass graves on the island. Now imagine how spooky it felt to get to the shore of this remote island in your kayak, step on the ground and see this!

Most whales are large, and when you see an Orca, or as they are also called - Killer Whales - coming, you're most likely to be happy you see them from a large boat. Look at these, coming straight your way:

And what's wrong with this following picture? You're right - there are two kinds of whales here! (as can be seen by the different fins and tails) These were three Killer Whales harassing a smaller whale. They ended up letting it escape, but if you spend long enough time on the Arctic ocean you sometimes see blood-red water, too, as the end to that harassment game.

But let's get some more action!

Sometimes, though, you sit in your kayak, paddling happily in the Inner Passage off the coast of British Columbia, when you see a big fish, the size of a bus, looking at you and taking a dive:

"Hmm", you say to yourself, "I hope it's not going to dive right under my kayak and emerge from the water exactly 10 feet away!" "There's no way I'll be able to instinctively take a picture of it because I'll be all shaking with panic!"

Well - I'll do anything to keep my blog's readers happy!

Did you see that? That's the result of years of practicing yoga: sit straight in your kayak, turn your upper back almost 180 degrees to the right, twist it slightly to the left so that the person in the back seat of this double kayak does not block the picture, shoot your camera, and say "Ohm", I mean, say "Oh My God!" All the while making sure the kayak stays stable on top of the huge wave that Killer Whale made when it emerged under you. Then go and tell all your (girl)friends.

So the northern seas seem too crazy? Don't even ask what happens in the Antarctic ocean, maybe 50 feet from your kayak!

And they say you need a strong heart because paddling for 12 hours a day is tough! Oh no, baby - It's the whales!

But sometimes, being close and at water-level pays off, when you see a mama and her two little ones having fun in the water!

Read my post Seal with a Kiss to learn about less scary animals of the Arctic and Antarctic oceans.

Churchill - The Polar Bear Capital

Welcome to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the "Polar bear capital of the world!"

Well, at least I was welcome! I have just returned from an early winter trip to this sub-Arctic town of 850 people and about 1,300 bears. In fact, the bears actually live mostly in the suburbs around town, although on occasion they do show up in the city for shopping and wandering. More about that in a future post. Anyway, this is how Churchill looks in early winter, a town with no roads leading to it, accessible only by train or airplane. Click on any photo to enlarge it

Before posting some pretty amazing bear photos, we need to familiarize ourselves with the importance of Churchill. The town sits on the shore of the Hudson Bay, which is an extension of the northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans, and penetrates deep into the continent.

Because of the direction of the currents and the winds, the little bay around Churchill (visible if you stretch your eyes) is where the sea ice first forms in early winter. Polar bears spend their winters on the sea ice, hunting for seals. In fact, winter is the season of action for them: the Polar bear is a marine mammal; it does not hunt on land and only feeds on seals, when they come up on the ice to rest or give birth. It's essentially a seasonal worker! But it takes the summer off, instead of being a lifeguard or something.

So, during winter the Polar bears spend their time on the ice, way out in the ocean. As winter nears its end in June, the ice retreats and the bears follow so that they can spend as much time on it as possible and stack up on seals. In the Hudson Bay, the ice last melts around Churchill, and so that's where the Polar bears come on land for the summer.

There, the Polar bear tries to spend as little energy as possible, as it will eat nothing until the next winter comes! A male bear which weighs around 1600 pounds (800 kilos) at the beginning of summer, will lose close to 500 pounds (250 kilos) during the summer just doing nothing! Like most diets, they'll regain it in the winter. The only area where there is some action is with the females, but that's for another post.

The summer is long and hot, at least for polar bears whose fur is designed for -40 degrees. But eventually, Fall comes and with it some cooling down, along with some very nice sunsets.

 

Finally in late October, winter is at the doorstep. The bears can literally smell it! As the first snows fall, and the freshwater lakes and streams begin to freeze, the bears get up and congregate as close to the shore as they can, eagerly awaiting the sea ice to form.

Churchill is the place with the largest such congregation in north America, and the official Wilderness Area is where many people come each year to watch these top-of-the-food-chain animals, who will soon be out on the sea ice, eating an average of two large seals per week.

As the temperature gets colder, the bears are more excited. After being unemployed and hungry for nearly five months, they form their own Occupy Hudson Bay gathering (minus the tents), wander around with nervousness mixed with adrenaline, and demand their job back.

In coming posts we will share some nice pictures and stories about the life of the polar bears on Hudson Bay. In the meanwhile, read my post So What About This Arctic Bug?

Arctic Black and White with A Story

"Every picture tells a story" - of-course a very true statement. Sometimes, the story is plain and the visual beauty of the picture is what matters most. In other times, it's actually the story that generates an interest or an emotion, while the picture only helps us visualize it.

In this post, I chose to tell the story behind each picture. And, in the spirit of dark stories, I processed these pictures into black and white, which I guess always adds some atmosphere! Plus, my last post about black and white images was very popular so I figured I should do that again. So I hope you enjoy my "creative streak" to experiment with black and white once more! I'd welcome your comments whether I should include B&W photos in my catalog!

Speaking about atmosphere, one cannot ignore the rainstorms of the sub-Arctic. When I write about the sub-Arctic, most people imagine very cold weather and frozen land. But, summer and Fall are not so cold, and the rain storms are very powerful. That's great so long as you're not under the rain and have a camera! (click on any picture to enlarge it)

You'd prefer some sun, you say? You got it! But in Antarctica, there is no sun without ice, and they all play with the water if you happen to be kayaking on the Antarctic Ocean. Look at the picture below and imagine: you're kayaking with your eyes closed, listening to the paddle shifting away little pieces of ice in the water, while the sun warms you up. Then, you feel it's hiding away behind - Full gear in reverse! You about to crash into that iceberg!

But being on the water, with you eyes closed and meditating to the sound of the wind can be done in calmer water as well, such as lakes in the sub-Arctic where you can grab a canoe, a professional model(?) and  and be the back seat driver for an hour of meditation!  Say with me: Ohm!

The interaction of man and wilderness isn't always so peaceful and collaborative, though. Take, for example, Svalbard (Spitsbergen), an island far out in the Arctic Ocean above Norway. during the 17th and 18th centuries, the ocean around that island was so crowded with whales that stories from back then tell about boats having to plow their way among the whales. That made it easy hunting, very easy.

The hunters would bring the whales to the shore, strip them of their skin and meat, and just leave the skeletons behind. 200 years later, this is how the Whale Ghost Town looks:

I know: this is horrible! But consider this: during the early days of the Industrial Revolution in the UK and Europe, a period which changed mankind forever--and for the better-- the oil extracted from the Minke whales was carried back to the UK and used to provide light and heat to the newly built factories. Was it worse it? No matter what your answer is, going on shore in Svalbard and getting so up close and personal clearly leaves an impression:

For sure, there are lots of spiritual moments in the Arctic, and I've written about them in previous posts.  Consider the following photo: a lone Polar Bear standing on a hill, sniffing.

This picture tells the story of the demise of Polar Bears. They hibernate in the ice and snow - in this case on Svalbard - only to wake up in the spring and discover this: within less than 20 years, the permanent sea ice which during summer was less than 50 miles north of them, a distance they could easily swim to, is now more than 500 miles away. 

So our bear stands there, stranded, and although it can smell a seal from 7 miles away, they're too far out where the sea ice is. And so it stands there, slowly turning into a white ghost, along so many of its species:

Read my post So what About This Arctic Bug?

to better understand me :)