Meet the Neighbours

For a place that honestly seems to be trying to kill us at times, there is a remarkable amount of wildlife down here. The short list of crazy animals I'd never seen before includes (in order of first sighting):

• a freaking orca!
• a variety of whale-backs from a variety of unidentified whales (probably mostly Minke)
• leopard seals!
• and then about ten metres later MY FIRST PENGUIN!
• Crabeater seals, Weddell seals, and Adelie penguins for days

Adelie penguins and Weddell seals are the majority stakeholders around Mawson. There is an Adelie colony on Bechervaise Island, 2km off base, and the little guys hang around on the station rocks to molt at the end of summer. Every couple of days I would come across a grumpy little man standing on the road or hiding behind a rock, which is always exciting. And it doesn't matter how many times you see them, watching the little guys waddle around and rock-hop always elicits a giggle. 

The Weddells were planted in a small harbour downhill from station from the moment we arrived, which was incredibly exciting. They tend to simply not care about you, won't even watch you walk by - for the Weddells everything seems like simply too much work... but as with people, there are always the oddballs. One fellow dragged himself all the way over our hill one day, right through station and over the gravel. It was a very confusing experience for everyone watching, and looked genuinely unpleasant for him. He spent the night at the top of the hill right in the wind, but was gone again in the morning. 

I saw all of these critters - the seals, the penguins, the whales - for the first time while still aboard the Aurora Australis, before I had even seen Antarctica. Things slowed down for a couple of weeks after making landfall, and then I came across this big beasty who hung out for a couple of days, farting and sleeping his way through a molt.

Male Elephant seals can grow to a whopping 3000kg, but the repeat expeditioners opined that this boy was just a juvenile. Still, he was an incredible to behold, and watching him move was mind-blowing. Think two tonne caterpillar and you're getting close...

And finally, the last friend on my list of "hope to see" visited station last week. He chilled out for a few days, pretending to be short with the Adelies and just generally squawking around. 

The Emperors are the only locals who are hardy and foolish enough to spend the winter with us on the land. These crazy birds live up to 40 years, weigh up to 40kg, and breed during the freaking Antarctic winter. In preparation for breeding they can eat up to 6kg of sea a day, and then when the chick hatches it needs 42kg of food from each parent. How hardcore is that?! We will be visiting breeding colonies through the year to keep an eye on them and do a headcount. With any luck I'll be able to visit during the major stages of the season, and see the little fluffies grow up.

But sadder days lie ahead. Winter is closing in, the open water has disappeared, and all my local friends have left for their winter holidays. It's just us and the Emperor's down here now. 

Dramatic recreation of the orca I saw.

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As a postscript, I was truly dumbfounded to come across plant life down here. I just really hadn't thought about it, but I have seen at least three distinct types of lichen spread among the rocks. It's so cold that it takes hundreds of years for them to grow to this size, so it's important to keep and eye on where you are stepping. 

Finally I had planned to sort these remaining photo's into species groups, but the internet is being a tad weak at the moment and I can't even load them anymore. I'm afraid that you will have to come up with your own witty captions this time.