Weddell Seal Adventure, Antarctica
My Weddell seal adventure resulted in this photo near Cuverville Island, Antarctica.
Here’s what you need to know about Weddell seals and photographing them from a zodiac inflatable boat in Antarctica.
That’s a big claim, particularly as this site is dedicated to beauty rather than meticulous scientific rigour.
I hope you find what follows will be informative, enjoyable and inspirational.
Facts About Weddell Seals
Did you know that Weddell seals hang out in groups called pods?
My research has revealed many interesting facts about Weddell seals. Let’s explore some easy to digest facts prior to more deeply exploring the life of this wonderfully well adapted Antarctic creature.
Born silver or golden in color Weddell seals can swim by two weeks of age.
Though capable of swimming great distances Weddell seals rarely travel beyond a few kilometers of their birthplace.
They can dive down to an impressive 610 metres (2,000 feet) below the surface of the water.
Weddell seals can remain submerged for up to 45 minutes.
Like other seal species Weddell seals are designated as follows:
A male is called a bull
A female is referred to as a cow
A baby is called a pup
Another interesting fact is that a group of Weddell seals swimming together is called a raft.
Substantial in both size and weight an adult Weddell seal will tip the scales at an average weight of 400-450 kilograms (880-980 pounds).
In the case of females, they can measure up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) in length.
Interestingly male Weddell seals are shorter at around 2.9 metres (9.5 feet) in length.
Where Do Weddell Seals Live?
Weddell seals are the southern most breeding mammal in the world.
Living further south than any other seal the Weddell seal habitat extends from sub-Antarctic Islands way down to McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.
Weddell seals can be found on shore ice around the edge of the Antarctic mainland and nearby islands.
While they don't normally congregate together groups of mothers and newly born pups may gather briefly into what's known as a colony.
Weddell Seals and the Antarctic Winter
Weddell seals do not migrate during the colder winter months, preferring to live on ice that is broken up in a way that produces natural cracks and holes in the ice by which they access the sea.
When temperatures drop below freezing Weddell seals use their teeth as a way to keep these holes and cracks open.
This action is energy intensive and, as it wears down the teeth of the Weddell seals, can reduce their lifespan from 30 to perhaps 18 years.
Weddell Seal Population
Given their relatively solitary nature and the fact they spend such long periods of time under the sea ice, it's hard to gauge the population of Weddell seals.
However, the current total population is estimated at between 500,000 and 1,000,000.
Weddell Seal Predators
With no land-based predators the major threat to Weddell seals comes from Orcas and Leopard seals. These tremendously powerful and intelligent hunters are the apex predators in the Antarctic region.
It’s the adaptability of the Weddell seal to such a difficult environment that has allowed their numbers to remain quite high and relatively stable.
What Do Weddell Seals Eat?
The Weddell seals diet consists mostly of fish, especially the Antarctic cod and silverfish. Squid and invertebrates such as krill are also on the menu, but not to the same extend as the before mentioned fish.
I was surprised to discover just how much food Weddell seals consume. An active adult can eat a massive 50 kilograms (110 pounds) a day while the needs of a relatively sedentary adult could reduce that intake to about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) per day.
As well as providing substantial protection against the wild Antarctic climate Weddell seals store energy in up to 240 kilograms (528 pounds) of blubber.
And it’s that blubber that sustains a female Weddell seal as she delays her own feeding for around a month after giving birth.
The mother’s protein rich milk should result in the pup's weight increasing from 25 kg (55 pounds) at birth to double that in as little as ten days.
Actually Weddell seal milk is extremely rich. It contains about 60% fat. This allows the pup to be weaned and begin to hunt and consume solid food for themselves by around seven weeks of age.
About To Travel?
The Underwater Life Of Weddell Seals
Did you know that Weddell seals often dive to significant depths under water?
Able to hold their breath for extended periods of time adult Weddell seals have been known to spend up to 45 minutes under the ice diving to depths of 600 metres (2,000 feet).
Typically a feeding dive sees the seal descend to a depth of between 200 and 400 metres and lasts for between five and twenty five minutes.
Given the lack of light at such depths Weddell seals have adapted and possess excellent low light vision.
Their keen eyesight allows them to look for thinner areas in the ice, where they might find or create a breathing hole. They're also able to discover breathing holes by means of sonar.
An adult Weddell seal is capable of swimming great distances though, when they do, it's at a much shallower depth than they'd normally descend to while searching for food.
While searching for Weddell seals I photographed this iceberg, Cuverville Island, Antarctica.
Weddell Seal Life Cycle
Birth occurs from the end of August until early November when expectant cows haul themselves out of holes in the ice and give birth to their pups.
Weddell seals usually have their pups on sea ice or land that's close to sea ice. They gain access back into the sea through a breathing hole in the ice.
Bull (i.e., male) Weddell seals keep these breading holes open during the time when the females give birth, guarding the area beneath the ice from other males wanting to mate.
The females are ready to breed again shortly after the birth of the pup so the males that successfully defend a breathing hole will mate with the mother seals that use this hole, typically this will be a ratio of about 10 females to one male.
Because cows can become pregnant around two months after giving birth it's common for a bull to patrol territories around breathing holes, thereby being in the best position to father more progeny.
It's common for the mother to give birth on two occasions within a three year period of time.
Within a week or two after birth pups begin their first forays into the water.
How To Photograph A Weddell Seal
One of the great things about a tour to Antarctica are the zodiac inflatable boat adventures you make to places like Cuverville Island or Deception Island.
With only two ports available to tour ships in Antarctica a zodiac inflatable boat is the best way to access a variety of locations either on the Antarctic mainland or on adjacent islands.
I love how much more accessible an Antarctica adventure becomes through the use of a zodiac inflatable boat.
Rather than making all your photos from a higher elevation on the deck of a distant cruise ship, a zodiac boat opens up the following opportunities:
Shore landings allowing for epic landscape photography.
Visits to historically interesting sites like Whalers Cove on Deception Island.
Wildlife photography from a zodiac boat or by visiting onshore penguin colonies.
I visited Cuverville Island with my friend and colleague David Burren. We were running a photography tour to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula.
The tour was a blast! A truly great experience which provided plenty of amazing photo opportunities.
At some locations on an Antarctic cruise, weather permitting, you might expect to tour around a sheltered bay in search of spectacularly sculptured icebergs.
With luck you’d get to photograph wildlife from your zodiac, though you’d have many more chances to do so after alighting for a shore landing and excursion.
Both experiences are worthwhile and yet quite different from each other.
Let’s examine the photo at the top of this post of a Weddell seal on an iceberg off the coast of the formidable Cuverville Island in Antarctica.
David and I, as was usually the case, split our group up so that each of us could provide tutoring and practical, one-to-one help from our own dedicated zodiac inflatable boat.
It was then a simple matter of approaching wildlife or icebergs at a gentle pace, so as not to scare the wildlife or spoil potentially beautiful reflections in the water.
When approaching the seal I asked our guide to cut the outboard motor on the zodiac which allowed us to more gently approach the seal without causing it distress.
In addition to helping to reduce camera shake I’m sure this simple technique allowed us to approach the seal more closely than we otherwise would have been able to.
It’s amazing just how different things look from water level where you’re provided with an entirely different perspective of the world around you.
You can see how this lovely Weddell seal wakened from its slumber as we approached.
An experienced zodiac pilot will ensure that you never get so close that either you or the wildlife is placed in any sort of danger.
That’s a very wise approach when dealing with seals, particularly leopard seals, though I’m not sure if orcas (i.e., killer whales) will always play by those rules.
