Next in our Antarctic Mammals series is one of the most difficult species of seal to see in the world: the Ross Seal. It lives most of the year in areas with heavy pack ice around Antarctica, which are very difficult to reach. This also means little is known about this species, there aren’t even proper population estimates. Most likely they feed largely on krill, squid and fish. With a length of 2.5 meters is it the smallest seal in Antarctic waters and it looks neck-less, making it look even shorter.

For us, expedition guides in Antarctica, this is also a bit a mythical animal. It’s only rarely seen on the Antarctic Peninsula, where we spent most of our time. I took the pictures in this blog in the Amundsen Sea, on our way to the Ross Sea, a place where they are a bit more common.