Seal on the ice in the sun close to its hole

• Antarctica
• French Southern and Antarctic lands
• Adelie Land

Description

A seal on the ice in the sun, close to its hole. Because of seals beautiful fur coats and oily blubber, they were hunted in the late 18th and 19th centuries on a vast scale. In fact, much of the early Antarctic exploration was due to seals.
Nowadays seals are a protected species and thrive in Antarctica. With little in the way of predators (except for the odd killer whale!), seals are remarkably relaxed when it comes to humans and will often be more curious than anything else. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. It was signed at the conclusion of a multilateral conference in London on February 11, 1972