Highlights

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Gentoo Penguin

Wildlife

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

Gentoo Penguin cruises

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

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

Storm Petrel

Wildlife

Due to the belief that their arrival heralded the storm, these ill-omened "Mother Carey's chickens" were also referred to as "satanites," "water witches," and "birds of the devil"

Storm Petrel cruises