December 2022 / January 2023

Scientists estimate that Antarctica is home to about 12 million penguins. That makes them the continent’s most common bird. During the trip, I saw four of the five penguin species that live on the Antarctic continent: macaronis, chinstraps, gentoos, and Adélies. The fifth species, emperor penguins, lived too far into the sea ice for us to visit.

Many Antarctic penguins return to the same nesting spots each breeding season. Some of the colonies had many thousands of birds, while others were much smaller.

They all had one thing in common: They were very stinky! That’s because penguin colonies produce large amounts of guano, or poop. It smells like a chicken coop mixed with fish. Peee-yew!

On our way back to Argentina, we stopped at the island of South Georgia. It is warmer than Antarctica and covered in grasses.

There, we saw large colonies of southern elephant seals, the largest species of seal in the world. Adult males can weigh as much as an ambulance! The species gets its name from the males’ huge nose like an elephant’s trunk. These seals use burping and belching sounds to communicate. They also sneeze to clear sand and bugs from their nostrils.

South Georgia is also home to large colonies of Antarctic fur seals. They hang out in the long grass and can be hard to spot. But we could tell when one was nearby. Their musk, a substance the males produce to attract females, stank like fried onions!

South Georgia also has large colonies of king penguins, the second-tallest penguin species. King penguins recognize each other using calls and whistles, so the colonies were very noisy.

Like the Antarctic penguins, these birds came ashore to breed. But king penguins do not build nests. Instead, the parents hold the egg on top of their feet underneath a loose fold of skin. This keeps the egg warm.

Young king penguins have fluffy brown feathers and are called “Oakum boys.” Oakum is a brown-colored fiber used to build ships. Eventually these young birds will molt, or lose their feathers and grow new ones. Then they will start to look more like their parents.

All the birds we saw in Antarctica, including penguins, were seabirds. This means they spend almost their entire lives in the ocean. Seabirds have special organs that filter salt from their blood. That allows them to drink seawater.

And that’s not their only special feature! The black-browed albatross has an enormous wing span of 2.4 meters (8 feet). The blue-eyed shag can dive up to 116 meters (381 feet) for food.

Three of the birds we saw have a special adaptation to defend against predators. When attacked, the giant petrel, southern fulmar, and cape petrel can vomit a gross-smelling liquid to repel their predators. This liquid is also used as an energy-rich food source for chicks.

The Antarctic landscape is harsh and rugged. Few living things make the continent their home all year long. In fact, the largest land animal found in Antarctica year-round is an insect only about a centimeter long. There is very little plant life.

Each time we visited a new location, we cleaned our shoes and vacuumed out our backpacks. We had to be careful not to introduce species from a different area that might harm the environment. There are strict rules about the size of ships that can visit Antarctica and the number of people who can land there.

Still, humans are having a big impact on the continent. Warming global temperatures from climate change are contributing to the melting of sea ice. This affects the region’s animals. Though Antarctica is one of the most remote places on Earth, it’s still vulnerable. I felt incredibly lucky to see the continent’s amazing landscapes and wildlife firsthand. It made me understand just how important they are to protect.

Arctic foxes live in the northern tundra. In the winter, their home is covered with snow. During this time, arctic foxes have white fur that helps them camouflage, or blend in, with their surroundings. This adaptation allows them to hide from eagles, bears, wolves, and other predators. It also helps the foxes sneak up on prey such as small rodents.

In the spring, the snow melts, revealing rocks and dirt. Plants begin to grow. At this time, arctic foxes change color by shedding their white fur. The brown fur that remains helps them blend in with their new surroundings through the summer.

The deep-brown color of an arctic fox’s fur comes from a pigment called melanin that’s produced in the body. Melanin gives color to many animals’ skin, hair, fur, feathers, or scales. Sunlight triggers the production of melanin in arctic foxes.

During the fall, the days start getting shorter, and there is less sunlight. This triggers an arctic fox’s body to slow down the production of melanin. When less melanin is produced, the hairs turn white. The arctic fox will be ready for winter again!

Other animals in the Arctic such as the snowshoe hare, Peary caribou, and collared lemming undergo a similar seasonal color change.