subject: Unusual Animals Find Home in Antarctica [print this page] Drake's Passage lies in all its frightening glory between the continent of Antarctica and the southern tip of South America. That 400 mile stretch of water has some of the worst reported sea weather in the world, ad is a place where no speck of land big or small could cause the currents a moment's pause in their collision course toward one another. Other than penguins and icebergs, I had no idea what I would find. I didn't really know what to expect since I had no real grasp of the topography. Never having been keen on geography, I wasn't prepared for what Antarctica had in store.
We were prepared for Drake's Passage's fury, but our cruise was uneventful on the way there. However, the return trip provided more than enough thrills for even the most avid thrill seeker. Our first morning in Antarctica was calm, but gray and dreary.
At first, I saw grayish mountains with some brown peeking through. However, it wasn't long before I saw the ice. Chunks of this ice bobbed in the gray sea like crystal marshmallows. I grabbed my camera and threw on the bright red parka the ship had supplied. Then I hurried out into the polar air.
We'd run outside to see the penguins, dolphins or whales that anyone else had seen. We also listened to the ship's naturalist. We were so excited to set off the cruise vessel in a little inflatable raft. It was thrilling to be so close to those giant ice floes. The first glimpse of land came into view. It was a rocky, icy coastline ringed with penguins that seemed to be contemplating a swim.
The penguins filled the landscape and stood admirably as we took it all in. Paradise Harbor houses this little area of land which is shared by the gentoo penguins and a few researchers. Many waddled about very purposefully in every direction. Some penguins took a stance on the rocks and watched the strange beings in red as they grinned and gestured toward them. The majority of these were adolescent chicks, as the majority of the parents had already moved on. Some of these "kids" were still living in denial of this situation. These adolescents are given down-covered sacks of krill. This is a kind of food that the parents will often bring back from the sea, regurgitating it into the chick's mouth to nourish them.
These baby penguins were molting. Some were in different stages of molt than others. During the molting, most of the baby coat had been replaced by sleek feathers. But in some spots, the grey down remained and the birds looked like they had on earmuffs and hats. Some just looked like they'd gone to a very bad barber. We neared some of the ice on the bay when we were heading back to ship. We even passed right by a jagged icy mountain on which a loan seal was stretching itself. He yawned at us, showing us all his teeth, and perhaps telling us we didn't matter to him.
We were instantly charmed by the penguins. I think it has something to do with their waddle. Their appearance of wearing formal tuxedos is a funny paradox with their clown-like webbed, orange feet. Because these islands were less dirt and more rock or ice, the penguins tended to be very clean and neat looking. They looked a bit like jaunty chipmunks because of the thin black line under their chins.
