Antarctica highlights

56 highlights shown

Adelie Penguin

Wildlife

These gallant-fighting, deep-diving namesakes of the French-claimed Antarctic Adélie Land are among the four penguin species on mainland Antarctica

Adelie Penguin cruises

Antarctic Fur Seal

Wildlife

Once hunted nearly into extinction, these pointy-eared polar swimmers are the comeback queens and kings of the Antarctic

Antarctic Fur Seal cruises

Antarctic Petrel

Wildlife

These feathered fish-eaters are among the planet's most southerly nesting birds, the "petrel" of their name deriving from Saint Peter for their seeming ability to walk on water

Antarctic Petrel cruises

Antarctic Shag

Wildlife

The only Antarctic bird to keep a year-round nest as long as the ice holds off, these neighbor-robbing homebodies are a welcome sight for sailors in search of land

Antarctic Shag cruises

Arctic Tern

Wildlife

Among the most nomadic birds on the planet, these sun-loving tourists summer twice a year during their ambitious routes

Arctic Tern cruises

Atlantic Yellow-Nosed Albatross

Wildlife

These so-called "foolish gulls" aren't so very foolish, capable of gliding for miles without a single flap of their wings

Atlantic Yellow-Nosed Albatross cruises

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Wildlife

The warmth of their nesting instinct belies the darkness of their name, though that doesn't keep these night hunters from feeding during hours competition is at a low

Black-browed Albatross

Wildlife

So efficient in the air that their in-flight heart rate barely rises above resting, these sub-Antarctic birds pack a stomach full of oil they can spit at would-be attackers

Black-browed Albatross cruises

Blackish Cinclodes

Wildlife

Small and unassuming, these diminuitive birds are inquisitive, daring and a common sight on the Falkland Islands

Blackish Cinclodes cruises

Blue Petrel

Wildlife

Spending all but the breeding season out to sea, these sole claimants of the genus Halobaena dash across the water to gain speed before liftoff

Blue Petrel cruises

Blue Whale

Wildlife

The largest-known creatures the Earth has ever produced have lifespans comparable to ours, though not hearts: Theirs can outweigh most vehicles

Blue Whale cruises

Chinstrap Penguin

Wildlife

Though armed with the "stonebreaker" nickname and a quarrelsome reputation, these gentoo relatives are fading from the Antarctic – probably due to climate change

Chinstrap Penguin cruises

Cobb’s Wren

Wildlife

Named after the farmer and bird writer Arthur Cobb, these native Falkland birds have such a small region and population that they are prone to inbreeding

Cobb’s Wren cruises

Commerson’s Dolphin

Wildlife

Named after the French naturalist who discovered them, these cetaceans are among the smallest to populate the Antarctic seas

Commerson’s Dolphin cruises

Crabeater Seal

Wildlife

They may be Earth's most abundant seal, but their teeth are far from typical and are perhaps the most precisely designed eating tool of any living carnivore

Crabeater Seal cruises

Crested Duck

Wildlife

These non-migratory mallards are highly territorial, the males' red and orange eyes brightening when breeding time has arrived

Dark-faced Ground Tyrant

Wildlife

Nicknamed “news bird” for its habit of hopping close to other birds as if to relay news, the dark-faced ground tyrant is part of the largest family of birds in the Americas

Dark-faced Ground Tyrant cruises

Emperor Penguin

Wildlife

The largest, deepest-diving, and least interested in nests of all the penguins, these aptly named Aptenodytes are among the most coveted wildlife attractions in the Antarctic

Emperor Penguin cruises

Falkland Steamer Duck

Wildlife

One of only two bird species native to the Falklands, the flightless Falkland steamer duck gets its name from the steamer-like way it flaps its legs and wings while swimming

Falkland Steamer Duck cruises

Fin Whale

Wildlife

Akin to their blue whale relatives both in size and the low frequency of their song, these "razorbacks" have asymmetrically colored faces thought to help them while hunting

Fin Whale cruises

Flying Fish

Wildlife

Encounter these wonders of the ocean as they soar above the white-tipped waves below

Flying Fish cruises

Fulmar

Wildlife

The Norse used to call them "foul ghouls" for their pungent-smelling stomach oil, but this evolutionary trait is both a defensive tactice and mid-flight energy source

Fulmar cruises

Gentoo Penguin

Wildlife

These hygienic divers are the only penguin species whose population is currently increasing along the Antarctic Peninsula

Gentoo Penguin cruises

Giant Petrel

Wildlife

These Greek-dubbed "long swimmers" are the only members of the Procellariidae family with legs strong enough to walk about on land

Giant Petrel cruises

Green Turtle

Wildlife

A remnant from the days of the dinosaurs, these cold-blooded herbivores cannot retract into their shells like many other turtle species

Grey-headed Albatross

Wildlife

These "gold-mouthed" mollymawks live at sea but spend most of their lives in the air, protecting their title as world's fastest horizontal flier

Grey-headed Albatross cruises

Hourglass Dolphin

Wildlife

We most often see these easily identifiable dolphins along the Drake Passage, though they may also appear in both Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic

Humpback Whale

Wildlife

Also known as "great-winged newfoundlanders" for their wing-like flippers, these cetaceans earned their more contemporary name by the way they bow their backs before a dive

Humpback Whale cruises

Killer Whale

Wildlife

Technically a kind of dolphin, orcas were once thought to appear as whales in the summer and wolves in the winter

Killer Whale cruises

King Penguin

Wildlife

Second in size only to the emperor penguin, these colorful divers look so different than their own chicks that they were once thought to be a different species

King Penguin cruises

Leopard Seal

Wildlife

These "slender-clawed water workers" spend much of their lives submerged, though it's known they are the only member of their family to consume other seals

Leopard Seal cruises

Light-mantled Albatross

Wildlife

Though these black-billed birds are so efficient at flying that they spend more energy at nest than in the air, they're often less than masterful at landing

Light-mantled Albatross cruises