Snow Hill Island Cruises & Expeditions

Emperor penguins are a fascinating breed. The largest of the 17 penguin species, Emperors (1.15 m or 45 inches tall) can dive deeper than any other bird, often reaching depths of 565 m (1,850 ft.), to hunt for fish, krill and squid. They can stay underwater for up to 22 minutes. Emperors are built to survive in -60°C (-76°F) temperatures and withstand blizzards of 200 km/hour (124 mph). Their four layers of scale-like feathers provide waterproofing and protection from harsh winds.

Unlike other penguins, Emperors breed on sea ice, not on shore. The female, after laying her egg, leaves the colony to hunt for food – but only after giving the egg to her male partner who carefully puts it on his feet and covers it with a layer of feathery skin called his brood pouch. The male will typically huddle with other adult males to protect their precious eggs from the frigid Antarctic conditions.

There are just as many types of icebergs in the Antarctic as there are penguins, especially in the Weddell Sea: Dome-shaped, wedge-shaped, tilted and blocky. Tabular icebergs are a particularly eye-catching iceberg. They’re created when icebergs break away from the ice shelf and are floating in the open water, easily recognizable by their plateau-like flat top and steep sides.

One visitor described Iceberg Alley in the Weddell Sea as “…colossal tabular icebergs bigger than downtown buildings…luminescent in their blueness.” Iceberg Alley is the name given to a large concentration of icebergs in the western Weddell Sea. Imagine hundreds of icebergs of various sizes, as well as growlers (which are small icebergs) and bergy bits (chunks of glacier ice).