Port Lockroy & Andvord Bay, Antarctica
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), is perhaps the best known and most easily identifiable of all the great whales. Its scientific name derives from the Greek for "big wing," referring to the large pectoral fin unique to this species and the Latin for “New England.” Humpback whale females are larger than males, and may attain a length of 50 feet or more, with a weight of 90,000 pounds or more. This whale is highly migratory, spending winter months mating and giving birth in tropical or subtropical latitudes and spending its summer in high latitudes feeding where food is abundant. The humpback whale makes one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal on Earth.
Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is a small baleen whale found feeding here in Antarctica in the austral summer. As winter sets in this whale will head north to tropical latitudes with some individuals reaching and occasionally crossing the equator. Its scientific name translates to "winged whale" and "Buenos Aires," which is where the first described specimen was found. Antarctic Minke whales may attain a length of about 35 feet and a weight of 20,000 pounds. This whale was mostly ignored during the 20th century industrialized whaling operations here in the Antarctic as whalers concentrated on the much larger blue, fin, sei, and humpback whales. However, several hundred Minke whales are still hunted and killed in Antarctica by Japanese whalers each year under a research permit provision issued by the International Whaling Commission.
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the dolphin family and perhaps the most famous of all cetaceans due to its appearance in movies, television shows, and oceanariums around the world. It is often also called orca, and it may be interesting to note that the term orca is derived from the Latin for "a kind of whale." With over 80 different types of cetaceans living today this term might seem rather vague for such a unique animal. The genus Orcinus translates to "belonging to the realm of the dead" or "bringer of death." Males are much larger than females, and may attain a length in excess of 30 feet and a weight of more than 12,000 pounds." Here in Antarctica there may be between 75,000 and 85,000 orcas during summer months. The "Type B" orca is a proposed new species of killer whale which specializes in preying on pinnipeds here in Antarctica.
You can read the words. You can study the literature. You can watch the documentaries on television. You can even believe that you know a little about them when you see them in captivity. But like Antarctica itself, nothing can prepare you for the sheer beauty, majesty, and magic of a personal encounter. To be here, present, and in the moment with whales all around us, surrounded in the grandeur of glaciers, icebergs, and snow-capped mountain peaks. No words or pictures can capture the sensation, the experience defies description. In a world that seems to be shrinking, in a pace of life that seems to be growing more frenetic, in a time of turbulence and fear, this is a day that will be remembered long into the future for all of us lucky enough to be on board the National Geographic Endeavour.
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), is perhaps the best known and most easily identifiable of all the great whales. Its scientific name derives from the Greek for "big wing," referring to the large pectoral fin unique to this species and the Latin for “New England.” Humpback whale females are larger than males, and may attain a length of 50 feet or more, with a weight of 90,000 pounds or more. This whale is highly migratory, spending winter months mating and giving birth in tropical or subtropical latitudes and spending its summer in high latitudes feeding where food is abundant. The humpback whale makes one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal on Earth.
Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is a small baleen whale found feeding here in Antarctica in the austral summer. As winter sets in this whale will head north to tropical latitudes with some individuals reaching and occasionally crossing the equator. Its scientific name translates to "winged whale" and "Buenos Aires," which is where the first described specimen was found. Antarctic Minke whales may attain a length of about 35 feet and a weight of 20,000 pounds. This whale was mostly ignored during the 20th century industrialized whaling operations here in the Antarctic as whalers concentrated on the much larger blue, fin, sei, and humpback whales. However, several hundred Minke whales are still hunted and killed in Antarctica by Japanese whalers each year under a research permit provision issued by the International Whaling Commission.
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the dolphin family and perhaps the most famous of all cetaceans due to its appearance in movies, television shows, and oceanariums around the world. It is often also called orca, and it may be interesting to note that the term orca is derived from the Latin for "a kind of whale." With over 80 different types of cetaceans living today this term might seem rather vague for such a unique animal. The genus Orcinus translates to "belonging to the realm of the dead" or "bringer of death." Males are much larger than females, and may attain a length in excess of 30 feet and a weight of more than 12,000 pounds." Here in Antarctica there may be between 75,000 and 85,000 orcas during summer months. The "Type B" orca is a proposed new species of killer whale which specializes in preying on pinnipeds here in Antarctica.
You can read the words. You can study the literature. You can watch the documentaries on television. You can even believe that you know a little about them when you see them in captivity. But like Antarctica itself, nothing can prepare you for the sheer beauty, majesty, and magic of a personal encounter. To be here, present, and in the moment with whales all around us, surrounded in the grandeur of glaciers, icebergs, and snow-capped mountain peaks. No words or pictures can capture the sensation, the experience defies description. In a world that seems to be shrinking, in a pace of life that seems to be growing more frenetic, in a time of turbulence and fear, this is a day that will be remembered long into the future for all of us lucky enough to be on board the National Geographic Endeavour.
