Introducing Antarctic life – penguins, seals and fish

RNZ science communicator Dr Claire Concannon shares some facts about the amazing wildlife that can be found in Antarctica in this short video introduction to the podcast Antarctic life – penguins and seals. This fourth episode of the Voice of the Sea Ice podcast series, looks at research on Weddell seals, penguins and other Antarctic animals. Claire interviews scientists researching how changes in sea ice and climate will impact these animals.

Transcript

Dr Claire Concannon

Are emperor penguins the most badass animals on the planet? They live on the coldest, driest, windiest continent on Earth, and every year, they return in the cold, dark depth of winter to breed on the sea ice. They don’t have nests – instead, the egg rests on the feet of the male penguins, who then huddle together to keep warm against the Antarctic storms. But what does the future hold for them?

Kia ora, I’m Claire Concannon, and in Voice of the Sea Ice, we meet researchers studying these penguins and their habitat. At Cape Crozier on Ross Island, Dr Michelle LaRue has been investigating how emperor penguins share space with both Adélie penguins and Weddell seals. By attaching satellite tags, they can monitor where the penguins go to find food. She’s also investigated where they live around the continent, including on sea ice that forms and breaks up at different times of year.

Researchers are concerned about the downward trend in Antarctic sea ice. If the ice breaks apart early before the young penguin chicks get their waterproof feathers, they can drown. But penguins show some site flexibility, so they might be able to find the best patches of ice in the short term. But the long-term modelling is pretty alarming.

Learn more about emperor penguins, Weddell seals and Antarctic ice fish by listening to the Voice of the Sea Ice podcast.

Acknowledgements

This video is courtesy of RNZ. It is from the Voice of the Sea Ice podcast series by Dr Claire Concannon. The series was made with travel support from the Antarctica New Zealand Community Engagement Programme.