Line
Line
Line
Line
Line
Line
Expeditions
Picturing Our World
Learning Our World
Exploring Our World
Members Story Index
Line
Line
Line
Line
Line
Line
Join OWJ
My OWJ
Recommend OWJ
About Us
Contact Us
Where People and the Planet Connect
Produced by FusionSpark Media

Home / Exploring Our World / Member Stories (31) / Individual Traveler (10) / North America (3) / Environments: Ocean (1)

 

Sally to the South Atlantic

Elephant Seals and other wildlife of the Falkland Islands

 Email the author

 

Send to a friend

Image Gallery

A bellowing adult bull Elephant Seal.

More about the author

More Relevant Links
Earthwatch Institute
Elephant Seals of the Falkland Islands


 

Publisher's Note: We are grateful to Frank for being one of the first contributors to the Journeys Corps of Storytellers.

______________________

The sky darkened and the wind gusted even stronger. I dug into my day-pack for my rain jacket, and struggled into it. When I looked back at "my" harem of Elephant Seals there were funny white streaks in the sky. I realized that the rain shower I expected was really a dense snow fall. For some reason this struck me as hilarious and I laughed out loud. It was spring in the Falkland Islands, but I had already learned that the weather there was, to say the least, dynamic . The sky could go from blue to dark gray several times a day and the temperature swings were dramatic. The one thing relatively constant was the wind, but it too could vary from a relatively gentle 20 knots to a staggering 40 knots in the blink of an eye.

The Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic some 300 miles East of South America. I was there as an Earthwatch volunteer studying Elephant Seals which breed on the beaches of Seal Lion Island, one of the Falklands. (Earthwatch, a non-profit organization, offers tax-deductible opportunities to participate in hundreds of research expeditions around the world--see www.Earthwatch.org for more information).

Southern Elephant Seals are large and fascinating animals. The males can be 18 feet long and weigh up to 3.5 tons. The females are considerably smaller, reaching 12 feet and 1700 pounds.

Elephant Seals spend most of their time at sea, diving to thousands of feet to feed on squid. They come ashore for breeding in September. The females gather in large groups (up to 120) called harems. Each harem is controlled by a dominant (alpha) male. Beta males (subordinates to the alpha) are sometimes present in larger harems, but the most of the males are kept outside the female group as peripheral males.

The females give birth and suckle the pups for about 21 days. The pups grow rapidly from about 80 pounds to 300 pounds or more before the females mate and go back to sea, leaving the pups to fend for themselves.

THE GEOGRAPHY AND WILDLIFE

The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, and are very British in feel. There are two main islands and over 700 smaller islands, spread over an area 160 miles across, but with an area half the size of Connecticut.

The total population is about 2200. About 1700 live in Stanley, the rest in "camp" - the local term for the rest of the country. "Camp" boasts a considerable variety of scenery. There are rolling moorlands, vast grassy plains dotted with lakes and mountains up to 2312 feet, and magnificent coastlines with beaches of white quartz sand, dramatic cliffs fringed by giant kelp coils and a myriad of inlets.

The wildlife is abundant and incredibly tame. You can easily approach penguins, other birds, and elephant seals within a few feet. I had Tussock Birds eat crumbs from my hands. This is all in a completely natural, unstructured setting. There are no "Keep on the Path" signs, viewing schedules or restrictive regulations. At the same time there are lodges offering comfortable accommodations and good food, often within a few hundred yards of large bird and seal colonies. In my judgment, the Falklands are one of the outstanding wildlife viewing areas in the world.

FISHING

I am an ardent fly fisherman, so when I read of the trout in the Falklands I had to try for them. Brown trout were introduced into Falklands waters from Chile, and Britain. Many have become migratory, running into the estuaries and inlets to feed on the abundant krill and baitfish. Another saltwater fish that hits flies well is the Falklands Mullet. These are not true mullet, but a variety of Antarctic rock cod. They can be lots of fun.

THE PEOPLE

One of the charms of the Falklands is that it is a small community and you easily meet the residents and other visitors. After two weeks there I was being continuously greeted on the streets by local people I had met. Not many travelers reach the Falklands (aside from cruise ship passengers) and they are eclectic and interesting group.

 

Community Question

Would you like to sample the Falklands, either with Earthwatch or as an independent traveler?

View Responses    Share Your Response


 
logo

Home  |  My OWJ  |  Recommend OWJ  |  About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Editorial Guidelines  |  Submission Policies  |  Privacy Statement

© Copyright 2000-2002 FusionSpark Media, Inc. and One World Journeys. All rights reserved.
None of the images or content on this web site may be copied or distributed without prior written permission.