Discover Wildlife

If there’s any bird associated with Antarctica, it’s the penguin. It’s likely you’ll come across a few, with six species making their home here: the Gentoo, chinstrap, Magellanic, king, southern rockhopper and emperor.

To see courtship rituals, the best time is mid-October to the beginning of December. The prime penguin hatching season is late December to January.

Poems have been written and songs sung about the albatross. With five species that call the region home, each with uniquely enchanting features, it’s easy to see why.

Birdwatchers will learn to spot the differences between the three species of prions found in Antarctica.

More than a half dozen varieties of this sea bird make their home in Antarctica, flying over ice floes or sitting with their flocks atop icebergs. The courting season for Antarctica’s seabirds lasts from November to December, making this a good time for birders to visit.

More than one species of seal call Antarctica home. Elephant, Weddell and Fur seals hunt the waters and come to land for some R&R…and to mate. Elephant and fur seals start to mark their preferred territories from mid-October to the beginning of December. To see seal pups on South Georgia and the Falklands, travel between mid-December and January. Towards the end of the summer in February and March, fur seals are more abundant on the peninsula.

You’ll be delighted to catch sight of a pod of whales. Humpback whales, orcas and fin whales are known to swim in these waters. Late January to early March is the best time to see whales such as orcas, minkes, sperms and humpbacks.

Found near the Antarctic Convergence, where the freezing waters meet more temperate waters, hourglass dolphins are one of the few cetaceans that enjoy the cold climate of Antarctica. They’re shorter and stockier than their counterparts, with a color pattern like that of an orca. You may just spot them while they ride alongside the ship or at its bow, or swim with the whales all summer long.