by Audrey Benedict | Jun 1, 2020 | ePostCards
ePostcard #56: Antarctic Fur Seals (South Georgia) When British explorer Captain James Cook visited South Georgia in 1775, he noted the island’s abundant population of both Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. In 1788, some 13 years after Cook’s visit,...
by Audrey Benedict | May 29, 2020 | ePostCards
ePostcard #55: Leopards! (South Georgia) Spotting this young leopard seal asleep on the beach was a surprise, the cold gleam of the South Georgia sun turning its fur to burnished silver. Despite my efforts to quietly find a place to sit down and simply watch, I...
by Audrey Benedict | May 28, 2020 | ePostCards
ePostcard #54: Elephantastic Pups! (South Georgia) Imagine for a moment that you have been at sea for several months and that you are returning to South Georgia in late August (early spring) to give birth to a pup you have been nurturing in your womb for 11 months....
by Audrey Benedict | May 27, 2020 | ePostCards
ePostcard #53: Sound and Fury (Elephant Seal Bulls) On South Georgia, the first sign of the austral spring is the return of the bull elephant seals to their breeding beaches in late August. Once ashore, the most sexually mature bulls (the beach masters) begin...
by Audrey Benedict | May 26, 2020 | ePostCards
ePostcard #52: Tracking Southern Elephants (South Georgia) Oceanography 101: Before we begin satellite-tracking southern elephant seals on their epic migrations in the Southern Ocean we need a bit of Oceanography 101 and a good map (#2 below) to guide us on...
