Sunsets at Sea

Photos from Visit to Zong Shan (Chinese Station)

Even More Photos - Antarctic Wildlife

THE SEALS: MAMMALS ADAPTED FOR THE COLDEST CONTINENT

The Antarctic coast as well as pack ice of the Antarctic Ocean is home to five species of seals. Seals are mammals and do not have external ears. There are five species of seals found in Antarctica: Weddell, Ross, leopard, crab-eater and elephant seals. Though the seals spend most of their lives in water and collect their food from water, they are not entirely aquatic animals like whales. From the surface of water, they mostly collect planktons, fish, squids, and birds including penguins.
Weddell seals were the most common variety that I encountered in my sea voyage towards the Larsemann Hills lying mostly singly on the pack ice. They must be hunting penguins there as I saw many times marks of blood all over a piece of pack ice.
Seals appear clumsy and lazy on ice or land, but are extremely active and agile in water, swimming, diving, rolling, and turning with ease. In winter, they live below the frozen surface under water, and breathe through the holes. Males defend their breathing holes from other males but allow a small group of females to use such holes. Such groups of females then become members of a male’s harem. The pups are born in September and measure much as half of the mother’s length at 25 kg. Pup grows quickly on mother’s milk containing 60% fat and in 6 weeks weighs double of birth weight.
Killer whales and leopard seals are the main predators of seals. Despite their being agile swimmers, they do not have a chance against a pack of killer whales in the water.

Seals

PENGUINS

Penguins evolved as sea birds of a much broader temperate climate about 60 million years ago. As circumpolar regions grew colder, they spread and diversified. Their adaptation for cold is simple. Dense overall plumage, each feather overlapping its neighbours combines with an underbelt of woolly down to keep out cold air, wind and water. Thick layer of fat provides additional insulation. Emperor and Adelie penguins have slightly longer plumage for their size, with shorter extremities, flippers, legs and head to prevent heat loss. Penguins are superb swimmers. Their feet and tail combine to form a rudder, and flippers become powerful propellers on either side. Most species feed on krill (shrimp like creatures). EMPEROR PENGUINS The largest of penguins reach a height of 1 meter. The adult weighs upto 30 kg. Emperors are truly Antarctican of all birds. It is characterized by black cap, blue grey neck with ear patches brilliant orange. Breast is lemon yellow and feet are black. These penguins can dive upto 250 meters and are the fastest of swimmers among all penguins reaching 40 kmph. Only leopard seal can match that speed to which emperor penguins can become its prey. There are only about two dozens colonies scattered around the continent with a population of 250,000 breeding birds.Emperors assemble early autumn in scattered bays around the coast to breed. They breed from late March to early May in colonies in the shelter of icebergs and coastal ice cliffs. They do not build any nest. The female lays single egg which is held by the male on its feet. Incubation lasts for 60 days.The male remains on the ice incubating a single egg through the winter while the female returns to the sea. ADELIE PENGUINS Adelie penguins are about 70 cm and weigh only 5.5 kg. They spend their winters on pack ice where temperature is higher than the land. Early spring they return to South and head towards their colonies of previous years (rookery) navigating through the Sun. Males arrive first in late October, where they return to their previous nests and refurbish it. Females arrive a few days later; after joining their mates of previous years they help to rebuild and defend their pebble nests. The female lays two eggs in the first or second week of November, and return to the sea for 8-15 days leaving males to incubate. Separated from the sea and food, males have already starved for 2-3 weeks during the nest building and courtship. A further spell without food during the first few weeks of incubation watch in biting cold of spring takes them to the physiological limits set by fat reserve. By the time female returns, the male has already lost half of its weight. By mid-November, the sea ice is usually dispersing and food is available closer to the colonies. For next 3-4 weeks of incubation, the parents alternate at intervals of 2-3 days bringing back fish and planktons. Often it is not possible for the parents to bring enough food for both the chicks. If they divide food equally between both the chicks, none will survive. The parents select the chick which has a better chance of surviving the harsh climate of Antarctica. The parent makes the chick run after it for food. The chick which wins the race earns the food. The weakling gradually starves and dies through the process of natural selection. After brooding for 4 weeks, the parents return with their chicks to the sea.The penguins that we have seen around Maitri in January and February singly or in small groups of 2-5 are the ones that have failed to return to the sea. They will gradually become too weak starving and fall easy prey to the skua.

Penguins

ALBATROSS

The largest of the Antarctic petrels are albatrosses. Albatrosses are large birds with wing spans of two meters in smaller species and upto 3 meters in larger ones. They are superbly insulated against the very low temperatures of Antarctica. Breeding mainly on the wind blown slopes of tussocks grasslands north of limits of pack ice, wandering albatrosses roam freely throughout the westerly winds, soaring and swooping in effortless gliding flight. Albatrosses feed mainly by scanning the water and gobbling fish, squids and planktons from the surface. They even enter penguin colonies and gobble up unwary chicks, and avidly clean up carcasses of whales and seals afloat and ashore. By breeding overland in springs and spending wintering over the sea, they make the best possible use of their uncompromising environment, avoiding the very low temperatures and thick snow of the land in winter, and using the brief summer and autumn to rear their slow growing chicks when the food is most plentiful in the sea.

Albatross

More Photos - Holi Celebrations at Sea

Photo Treat!!

Hi, I just received a CD of photos that Dr Khandelwal mailed from Cape Town when the ship was docked. You are in for a treat. Here's a sample of the stunning imagery that he captured during the ship's journey thus far.

Against a moonlit night at sea.
A beautiful moon.
A shooting star.

The Emerald Sea While at Larsemann Hills

The frozen surface of the sea

Docked at Cape Town - South Africa

The ship entered the Cape Town harbour and got the berth at Fruit Port Terminal (FPT). It looks like South Africa is a major fruit exporting nation, that is why a separate terminal for fruits. The ship was anchored by 7 am. We were divided into four teams to go to the town for sightseeing and shopping. There were four vans hired for the purpose. Mr Javed Beg, Director (Logistics) at NCAOR, has flown from Goa to supervise all arrangements for our arrival and stay. We could all go out by 11 am only as some formalities were to be completed. We headed for a nearby huge shopping mall, Canal Walk. I had not planned for much shopping. Coming back into the city, I totally forgot all about Antarctica, ship journey, or all the rolling and pitching. It was a strange feeling when I deliberately wanted to reminisce about last four months: every thing looked so distant. When I enter the city life back home, I suspect all about Antarctica would get hazy like a dream.

At a superstore, Pick & Pay, I bought some chocolates and totally forgot about tooth paste. I wanted to buy the book that I wrote about, but found it quite expensive at 219 rand (Rs 1500). In hard cover, it looked beautiful and paperback was not available. We went around the Table Top Mountain for a long beautiful drive to reach a ferry point for going to Seal Island. The ticket for ferry was expensive and almost no one in our group was interested, but Ramakrishna agreed for this 1 hour trip. This was a small island and must be having some kind of record to have more than six thousand seals. It was amazing with seals of all sizes and age groups. Then I made the phone calls. In 20 rand phone card, I talked to Chitra, Jiji, Babuji, Gargi and Bose auntie. Bhabhi was not at home. Auntie’s memory for places and persons is remarkable, like Naniji; she immediately asked me if I had been to the Table Top mountain. I do not think she ever visited South Africa.

In the evening Mr Beg had organized dinner at an Indian restaurant in Water Front shopping mall. No prizes for guessing the name of the restaurant: Jewel of India. Some people from the local Indian Consulate office were invited. It served such a lousy food. I was looking for some fresh green vegetables and fruits. It served the most unimaginative food, nothing different from, or may be worse, what we had been eating for last four months: dal makhani, chholey, and aloo-paneer followed by vanilla ice cream. I am sure going to tell Mr Beg that a salad and fruit bar would have been much more welcome. But then, everyone does not think like me. When people get free booze, they are willing to accept any kind of food. It is amazing to see people’s capacity to drink when it is free, and they can have it everyday. I refrained from any alcohol this evening.

The only good thing about the dinner was that we were being served on the table and the table or the hall was totally stationery. Heheh :)

Farewell to NZ Heli Pilots

Originally meant for posting on March 23rd:

We all decide to host a farewell party to the crew of the ‘Helicopter New Zealand’, Lee, Phil and Jim. They have been very friendly with all the team members and have done excellent job in ferrying load and people at Maitri as well as Larsemann Hills. They all have developed taste for Indian food and dessert. Earlier India perhaps did not figure in their scheme of places to visit, but now they think seriously about it.

The party is fixed at 6 pm on 23rd March on the open deck. Russians are also invited. Though a number of snacks are being prepared, emphasis is on the drinks. Whiskey, beer, wine are being brought out from the stores, and of course, there are fruit juice and other soft beverages. I go out in knickers and t-shirt. Some people are in their formal attire with tie on. I know for sure that the guests will come in shorts. After some time I find the wind getting colder and realize that I shall feel uncomfortable for next 3 hours in my present dress. I come back to my room and change into trousers and full sleeve warmer. People are busy getting their drinks and forming their usual groups, very predictable. At the bar I ask for red wine, but am curtly told that wine is for them. Who they? I must have rubbed the barman (Indian guy only) wrong way, and he got his chance. I settle for a beer.

I strike a conversation with Lee and Jim. I ask them what they found most interesting about Antarctica. Lee answers since he is here for the first time. Jim has come six times before and Phil three times. Lee has done lot of flying on the snow, ice and glaciers elsewhere, but he found icebergs in the Antarctic Ocean amazing. Penguins were very interesting to watch and photograph. Antarctica also gave him a chance to work together with Indian people and know a little bit about the Indian culture. I also want to know what distressed him most about Antarctica. Inspite of all its beauty, lack of greenery at such a huge continent is very depressing. I ask him what irritated him most about the Indians. He hesitates for a moment, but beer gets better of him. What annoyed him most as pilot about the Indians was nodding their heads in affirmation when their subsequent behaviour would clearly show that they didn’t understood a thing. He would explain many times the safety instructions to observe while boarding the chopper or disembarking, but they would do the same mistakes again and again. He also did not understand why they were so keen in crowding around the parked but running chopper. Such a chopper could be very dangerous. More helicopter accidents occur on the ground by its running blade than while airborne. Unlike aeroplanes. NK has had a drink too many. He is going around kissing everyone. Lee wonders about his sexual preferences. But next moment I see him getting terrified. NK is advancing towards him with outstretched hands. Lee runs and NK follows him closely shouting to stop. But Lee is younger and very agile, manages to escape. Miss N too has had her share of drinks. Indians wish to talk to her, touch her and get photographed with their arms around her. She doesn’t mind. Some of her compatriots are also enjoying. One of them wishes to have photo carrying her into his arms. She willingly obliges. Some of our guys too get bolder and do the same. Many cameras click simultaneously. Later in the evening, AL gets some sense into his head. He wants people to delete his photo from their cameras. Some oblige, some tease him and threaten to email it to his wife. He is laughing, but petrified too. I suggest him that he should tell his wife that he was provoked into a bet and he did it to win the bet. He cheers up, but is still not comfortable. Russians are real alcohol guzzlers. They top their whiskey not with water or soda, but with whiskey only. And they drink and drink. Remarkably they remain quite restrained and steady. Total alcohol consumed in four hours by 50 people: 15 bottles of whiskey, 36 cans of beer, and two bottles of wine.