At Sea
The last leg of the trip is upon us. MS Endeavour now turns North from South Georgia, and heads for the Falkland Islands. Early this morning we passed Shag Rocks, so named for the Blue-Eyed Shags, the cormorants, that inhabit these forbidding looking rocks, which stick up out of 150 meters of water. Just as we had passed the rocks, a sudden cry of whale went up from the watchman. Indeed lying ahead of us, there were at least four killer whales, including one very BIG male. What a way to start a day at sea.
The South Atlantic Ocean holds many surprises and delights, as only slightly demonstrated by what we encountered this morning. While in South Georgia these past three days, undersea specialist Dennis Cornejo and I were able to get in two dives, to experience what South Georgia had to offer under the surface. The water of South Georgia is about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius. One might think this would limit bottom life, but in actuality there is a plethora of life. On our dives we encountered umbrella crabs, hydras, anemones of all shapes and sizes, and the wonderful creature pictured here, the nudibranch. The nudibranch is essentially a snail without a shell. This particular species is called Notaeolidia gigas, and is found from the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia, in depths from 3 to 50 meters. This creature can be as much as 8 centimeters, and has at least three rows of cerata (the spiny parts sticking up) numbering at least 200 on each side.
You will notice that the body of this nudibranch is translucent to milky white, as are the tips of the cerata, rhinophores, (second antennae) and oral tentacles. However, many nudibranchs are brilliantly colored, which may serve as a warning system for predators and/or a camouflage. N. gigas feeds on large hydroids, and soft coral, by chewing them. An interesting defense mechanism, N.gigas will consume creatures, such as the hydroids, which have nematocysts, or stinging cells. After they consume these creatures, these nematocysts will migrate to the end of the cerata, where they are used as defense mechanisms by the nudibranch.
In the short time we have spent in this part of the Southern Ocean, we have barely touched on what it has to offer. But what we have experienced is truly rousing, and perhaps has inspired some to look further into the ocean and what it possess.
The last leg of the trip is upon us. MS Endeavour now turns North from South Georgia, and heads for the Falkland Islands. Early this morning we passed Shag Rocks, so named for the Blue-Eyed Shags, the cormorants, that inhabit these forbidding looking rocks, which stick up out of 150 meters of water. Just as we had passed the rocks, a sudden cry of whale went up from the watchman. Indeed lying ahead of us, there were at least four killer whales, including one very BIG male. What a way to start a day at sea.
The South Atlantic Ocean holds many surprises and delights, as only slightly demonstrated by what we encountered this morning. While in South Georgia these past three days, undersea specialist Dennis Cornejo and I were able to get in two dives, to experience what South Georgia had to offer under the surface. The water of South Georgia is about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius. One might think this would limit bottom life, but in actuality there is a plethora of life. On our dives we encountered umbrella crabs, hydras, anemones of all shapes and sizes, and the wonderful creature pictured here, the nudibranch. The nudibranch is essentially a snail without a shell. This particular species is called Notaeolidia gigas, and is found from the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia, in depths from 3 to 50 meters. This creature can be as much as 8 centimeters, and has at least three rows of cerata (the spiny parts sticking up) numbering at least 200 on each side.
You will notice that the body of this nudibranch is translucent to milky white, as are the tips of the cerata, rhinophores, (second antennae) and oral tentacles. However, many nudibranchs are brilliantly colored, which may serve as a warning system for predators and/or a camouflage. N. gigas feeds on large hydroids, and soft coral, by chewing them. An interesting defense mechanism, N.gigas will consume creatures, such as the hydroids, which have nematocysts, or stinging cells. After they consume these creatures, these nematocysts will migrate to the end of the cerata, where they are used as defense mechanisms by the nudibranch.
In the short time we have spent in this part of the Southern Ocean, we have barely touched on what it has to offer. But what we have experienced is truly rousing, and perhaps has inspired some to look further into the ocean and what it possess.
