IN PHOTOS: INCREDIBLE ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS IN ANTARCTICA

Icy, vast, full of penguins, Antarctica is truly something special. Something that is not lost on the WWF Oceans team, who spent time there studying whales and their habitats.

While it’s clear that every single second spent in this icy wilderness is incredible, we’ve compiled a series of mind-blowing marine animal moments to give you a glimpse into what can happen when you’re in the last wild place on Earth.

Having a whale of a time… with a seal?

Using a drone, the team captured this footage of a humpback whale calf frolicking with an entirely different species – a seal!

Watching gentoo penguins leap out of the water while swimming

Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimmers of all penguin species, reaching speeds in the water of up to 36km/h! 

Documenting five humpback whales working together to catch krill

The research team managed to capture footage of five humpback whales engaging in ‘bubble net feeding’ - blowing a large circle of bubbles in the water to make a sort of net which traps krill in the middle. They then swim upwards in the middle of the circle, collecting their primary food source–Antarctic krill–into their giant mouths.

While bubble net feeding by one or perhaps two whales is often seen, to witness five whales working together to form the net is a spectacular display of cooperative feeding.

Spotting this chinstrap penguin during its annual ‘catastrophic moult’

While the term ‘catastrophic moult’ might sound strange, this term describes the annual experience for penguins where they lose and replace all their feathers at once. This chinstrap penguin was snapped mid-moult, looking a little dishevelled.

Moulting is a vulnerable time for penguins, as their plumage is not waterproof or well-insulated until the process is complete, meaning they can’t enter the icy waters to hunt or to evade predators. Being unable to eat during this time means they’ll lose around 50% of their body weight.

This leopard seal and its pink mess

This might look like the scene of a frenzied feed for this leopard seal, but the reality is a lot less appetising.

When WWF-Australia’s Paul Fahy took this photo he thought he had stumbled upon the aftermath of a big meal for this leopard seal, but it turns out the mess is actually poop!

Tiny, red Antarctic krill make up a significant portion of the leopard seal’s diet and is what gives their faeces this pinkish hue.

All images were taken during a 2024 research trip to the Antarctic Peninsula, and collected under scientific permits, NMFS 23095 / ACA ACA 2021-006.