An Encounter with Antarctic Minke Whales!!
As the Oden cut several miles through the unbroken sea ice of McMurdo Sound we soon realized that the 100 foot wide path of the icebreaker had become a path of opportunity for Antarctic Minke whales too. These 35 foot long, 10 ton whales can gulp huge mouthfuls of seawater and use the baleen plates in their mouths to strain out the tiny krill. They can swim and hunt under the sea ice but they need open water in order to breath and rest. Minke whales are experts at pushing aside broken sea ice to find areas where they can breathe. During the 2 days that we stayed at the ice station about 6 miles from the northern end of Ross Island, several Antarctic Minke whales used the small pool of open water in front of the Oden as a resting place between feeding dives. This gave me the opportunity for the most amazing wildlife encounters of my life. Enjoy!
Antarctic Minke Whales
Making memories on the ice,
Jeff Peneston
