How Expedition Asia Makes A Distinction
On your North Pole expedition, look ahead to ringed seal along the edges of sea ice, where they feed on Arctic cod. Ringed seals feed on a variety of small prey, together with 72 species of fish and invertebrates. Weighing in at lbs (50-70 kg) with an size of common 5 ft (1.5 m), it takes a good deal of small fish to satiate his urge for food. Dining is an event almost Olympic in scale, as they dive to depths of 35 to one hundred fifty ft and stay submerged for up to 45 minutes.
They’re essentially the most widespread marine mammal within the Arctic by far, which is actually nice information for his or her prime predator, the polar bear. You’re more than likely to identify ringed seals in your North Pole expedition, though harp seals have been seen on a few events in Franz Josef Land, as nicely. Nineteen distinct populations of polar bear roam the circumpolar region and should you’re lucky, you would possibly just see one prowling the sting of an ice floe or gliding through cold, darkish waters. The male of the species are, on average 600 to 1200 lbs, although the largest can tip the scales at as much as 1,540 lbs .
Expedition Passport
One of our onboard medical staff, Dr. Sam Crimmin, captured a really special second when she caught sight of this female walrus and her calf hanging out on a bit of ice in the Arctic Ocean. Walrus will calve solely as soon as every two to 3 years, making her discover all that much more significant.
The westernmost island in Franz Josef Land, that is also an ideal habitat for polar bear and walrus. Elsewhere in Franz Josef Land you would possibly see fulmar, widespread eider, glaucous gull, kittiwake, arctic tern, Brünnich’s guillemot, black guillemot, or little auk. Seabirds are an necessary indicator of the overall well being of Arctic ecosystems. In fact, a special staff of researchers from Seabird Watch traveled with us in summer 2017 to deploy monitoring cameras in one other area of the Arctic. A walrus spotted in the wild is an exciting find, even when he’s feeling lazy and doesn’t really feel like performing for the digital camera.