Antarctica and its Subantarctic islands are home to some of the world’s greatest wildlife watching experiences. The chance to see penguins in their natural habitat is a huge draw, but there’s another sight that is just as iconic when it comes to images of polar wildlife: a seal hauled up on an ice floe. Watching seals is an essential and enchanting part of any expedition cruise to Antarctica.
There are 33 species of seal in the world, of which six can be found in Antarctica and its surrounding waters. Seals are broadly divided into two families, both of which can be seen here: the true seals (phocids), which are what people think of as having the classic seal shape, and the eared seals (otariids) which can walk on their fore flippers and have a more upright posture like a sea lion.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to the different species of seal that you might see in Antarctica, and when and where they’re often found.
When to see seals in Antarctica
Seals can be seen in Antarctica throughout the expedition cruise season, which runs from November through to March. If you travel early in the austral summer (from November) you have a good chance of seeing seals, particularly Weddell seals with pups. In South Georgia, the seasons bring quite a variable seal watching experience. Early in the season, the beaches are crowded with male fur seals, as well as young elephant seal pups. Later in the season (after Christmas), you’ll see plenty of highly active fur seal pups, and smaller groups of elephant seals who have returned to land for their annual moult.
As with all Antarctic wildlife, there are strict guidelines on watching seals to prevent disturbing them. Seals have no natural fear of humans. A minimum of 5m (15 feet) must be kept at all times between people and seals, though this is often extended to 15m (45 feet) depending on the animal’s context: your guide will advise on appropriate behaviour. When observing seals on land, you should never place yourself between the seal and the shoreline. When out on the water, a zodiac should never be allowed to rest against an ice floe with a seal on it, to avoid potentially disturbing the animal.
Weddell seal
The Weddell seal is the most commonly seen seal species in Antarctica. Widespread across the Antarctic Peninsula, can be found in latitudes as high as 78º – making it the southernmost mammal in the world. Perhaps only the emperor penguin beats in terms of polar toughness. Weddell seals can also be spotted in small numbers in the southern part of South Georgia island as well as across the South Shetland Islands.
Weddell seals are the largest Antarctic seal, reaching over 3m (10 feet) in length. They have silvery-grey coats covered in light spots, and tend to be found hauled up on beaches rather than ice floes, often gathering in groups of up to half a dozen individuals.
To survive the brutal Antarctic winters, Weddell seals use their teeth as saws to keep open holes in the ice. Beneath the surface, they are delicate swimmers and also highly vocal. Males in particular are known to mark out their territories by chirping an underwater tune. They can stay underwater hunting for fish and squid for as long as an hour.
Crabeater seal
It’s an irony that crabeater seals are less commonly seen than other seals in Antarctica, as they are believed to be the most populous seal species in the world. However, they prefer pack ice to open waters and rarely haul out on land, so are less likely to be seen along the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer. Those travelling south of the Antarctic Circle or to the Weddell Sea are more likely to see crabeaters.
It’s a second irony that despite their name, crabeater seals don’t even eat crabs. Instead, their diet is almost exclusively based on krill (their name is from the German word for crustacean, krebs). They have highly modified molar teeth that have been shaped into fern-like lobes that act to filter their food from the water, much as whales do with their baleen plates.
Crabeaters reach a length of around 2.5 (8 feet). They are easily distinguishable from the more regularly seen Weddell Seas as they have a more pronounced neck and head with a pointed snout, as well as a coat that varies from brown through to silver.
Leopard seal
The leopard seal is the one species of seal in Antarctica that tops many wildlife wish lists. It is one of Antarctica’s apex predators, and the moment you see one lying on an ice floe, you’ll understand why it’s impossible to mistake it for any other seal.
Leopard seals are large, and are unusual among seals in that the female is often larger than the male, reaching as much 3.8m (12.5 feet in length). Even when asleep on the ice, you can tell it’s a body made for power, but should you see one in the water they instantly become sinuous and elegant.
Leopard seals are commonly seen close to penguin colonies. The birds make up a significant part of their diet, although it can be surprising to learn that they actually eat more krill than penguins. Still, they are fearsome hunters, and on catching a penguin they thrash it violently around to ‘deglove’ it, turning the skin inside out to eat the nutritious blubber. The meat itself is generally left for scavenging petrels. It’s a fascinating behaviour, though one that some observers may understandably find distressing.
Antarctic fur seal
It was demand for the pelt of the fur seal that drove the earliest voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula. Within a few short decades, the fur seal had been hunted almost to extinction, which makes their recovery today even more remarkable.
South Georgia, the most popular place for seeing fur seals, is home to around five million of them. In November, when they come on shore to breed, the beaches can be so densely packed in places that sites can only be visited by zodiac safari as there is no space to safely land.
Fur seals are eared seals. They sit upright on their fore flippers and can move fast on land. Quicker in fact, than a person can run. In the new year, the crowded beaches of breeding males have been replaced by almost impossibly cute pups.
Fur seals can also be found in the South Shetland Islands and sometimes on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, though these will typically be itinerant males. When spotted at sea, when they make a splendid sight as they porpoise through the water.
Southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal is the world’s largest seal. Fully grown males can reach as much as 4.5m (14.5 feet) in length and weigh as much as four tonnes. Females are an eighth of the size.
Their size reflects their breeding strategy: a small number of males, known as beachmasters, lord it over large harems of females, violently clashing with each other for supremacy, while younger males watch and learn.
Although technically an Antarctic seal, elephant seals are no great fans of ice and you won’t find them out on an ice floe. Instead, they can be found in the South Shetland Islands (including Deception Island) and the northern tip of the Peninsula, but breed in their greatest numbers in South Georgia. Visitors in the earliest part of the season may catch the last of the spring’s clash of the beachmasters, but pups appear throughout November and December. Females nurse their pups for less then a month, during which time they grow into enormous ‘weaners’ left to fend for themselves.
Ross seal
If you see a Ross seal in Antarctica, you can count yourself very lucky. The smallest species of Antarctic seal (topping out at a little over 2m or 6.5 feet) is a keen lover of dense pack ice and tends to breed south of the Antarctic Circle at the time of year when tourists are visiting the Peninsula. It is little spotted and has successfully guarded its secrets from even the keenest biologists.
Should you spot a Ross seal, expect celebrations on your cruise ship that evening (the naturalist guides will certainly be in a festive mood). On the ice. Ross seals aren’t easily mistaken for other species: they are solitary and have strangely small heads, with a distinctive coat that’s dark on top with a pale belly. When disturbed, they have a habit of pointing their heads to the sky: perhaps being as surprised as you are by the encounter.
Other seals
While these six species of seal covers all those that you might hope to encounter on an Antarctic or Subantarctic expedition cruise, we have to give honourable mention to one more variety of seal: the South American sea lion. As their name suggests, the males of the species have thick heavy-set manes. Like fur seals, they are eared seals and can move fast on land.
While not encountered as far south as the Antarctic, the South American sea lion is a common sight when cruise ships are sailing out in and out of the port of Ushuaia and along the Beagle Channel. The sea lions haul up in colonies on the rocky islets in the channel. Their numbers tend to be the highest in the breeding season between mid-December to late February, but they can be seen throughout the year.
South American sea lions can also be seen in the Falkland Islands. They breed in colonies up to 60 individuals strong, mainly on East Falkland, but individuals can be seen almost anywhere in the islands: we’ve even seen them on the seafront in Stanley.
Want to see seals?
Antarctica’s seal species are one the top wildlife draws for travellers planning a cruise to Antarctica (alongside penguins and whales of course). At Swoop Antarctica, we offer some of the world’s greatest wildlife-watching opportunities – and have seen every species of Antarctic seal, from having leopard seals investigate our kayaks to the ‘fur seal soup’ of boundless fur seal pups around zodiacs in South Georgia – and even a handful of Ross seals in the far south. With a passion for the continent’s wildlife, our team of experts are happy to share their expertise on how to see seals in one of the world’s most dramatic destinations.
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