LIFE IN THE FREEZER

The Ice Retreats

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In South Georgia the sea never freezes which is good because animals can come and land all year round. The first animals to return in spring are the bull elephant seals to breed. Half of the worlds elephant seals come to South Georgia. It takes 3 weeks for the female elephant seals to feed before they have to go back to the sea to look for food. A male elephant seal can rear up to 8 feet and their teeth are their only weapon. Elephant seals can weigh up to 3 tons.

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The black browed albatross and the grey headed albatross reunite by mutual grooming which only lasts very briefly, albatross stay with their partners for up to 20 years. The female lays an egg which takes 2 weeks to hatch, then they take turns in taking care of the chick for 70 days.

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Small petrels and prions also come to the island at night, about 2 million of them nest there. Petrels keep their young in burrows to protect them from the scewers. The chick stays in the burrow for 2 months.

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Approximately 80,000 macaroni penguins are on South Georgia, which makes up 50% of the worlds birdlife. A female macaroni penguins lay 2 eggs in case one gets eaten by other birds. Cheekbills differ from other birds because they are totally land based.

The first part of Antarctica freed from ice is the Arctic Peninsula.

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The first animals to reach the rocks are the Gentoo penguins because they need bare rock to nest on. Gentoo penguins make their nests from are few small rocks which are scarce. It takes up to 5 weeks for the chicks to hatch and the parents look after the chicks for 3 weeks. Another animal that appears as the ice retreats, humpback whales.

THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT

A soup of loose ice blocks forms as the ice melts. About 20k crabeater seals live of these packs of ice. Adelie penguins go the furthest south on land and march for up too 160 miles to reach their breeding grounds. The animals that go furthest south are snow petrels, and in the heart of summer the temperature reaches -30 degrees.

FEMALE ELEPHANT SEAL

BLACK BROWED ALBATROSS

PETREL

MACARONI PENGUINS

GENTOO PENGUINS

HUMPBACK WHALE