Tag: "Weddell seals"

Killer Whales and calf in the Ross Sea

Killer Whales in the Antarctic Prefer Weddell Seals

NOAA’s Fisheries Service scientists discovered that killer whales in Antarctic waters prefer a specific species of seal over all other food choices.  Robert Pitman and John Durban, researchers from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California, observed killer whales feeding off the west Antarctic Peninsula in January 2009.   While documenting the whales’ method [...]

Apr 22, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
Weddell seal at a breathing hole - NOAA's Ark - Photographer: Giuseppe Zibordi - Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDES/ORA

Expedition to the End of the World Studies Weddell Seals

For the first time a team of nine researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Texas A&M University, and University of Texas started a research expedition to the Antarctic in winter. Their intention is to study the Weddell seals, the only mammal to live in McMurdo Sound during the brutal winter month and discover how they survive beneath the sea ice.

Oct 14, 2009 | 0 comments View Post