The "Elves" of South Georgia

The "Elves" of South Georgia

South Georgia, about 160 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide, has long been one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It has five mountains and glaciers over 2100 meters above sea level. It also has dark green grasslands and deep fjords and beaches. There are many lovely "elves" on the island.

Seals. Captain James Cook, after visiting South Georgia in 1775, mistook it for the Antarctic continent he was looking for. In his report, he faithfully described it as an "island of ice". In his report, he also mentioned the surprising number of seals here, which is the fate of the seals.

Birds. Albatrosses and Southern Petrels settled on South Georgia Island. Near the nest, you can see a large number of female albatrosses flying low over the island. Their flirtation causes the males to send out low courtship signals.

Krill, especially its juveniles, rely on sea ice for winter, while in the past few decades, the ice in some areas of Antarctica has been shrinking (although on the whole, it has been growing slowly). Over the past 50 years, the waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula have been warming several times faster than the global average.

The king penguin is the second tallest penguin. It is about a foot shorter than the emperor penguin. Like other penguins, it sheds its feathers once a year and replaces them with new feathers. During my stay on the island, 10% to 15% of adult king penguins are in this transition period.