Below you will find your questions answered by Rob Yordi, SeaWorld aviculturist. Should you have additional animal questions, please contact our Ask Shamu service. We will be sure to respond to you in as timely, complete, and appropriate manner as possible.

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Mr. Rob:
Do you think you will see any polar bears on your trip?
They like to eat penguins, don't they?
Your fan, Kelly

Dear Kelly,
There are no Polar Bears that live in the Antarctic. Polar Bears live only in the Northern hemisphere near the North Pole areas. Here in Antarctica there are no large predators on land which seem to make the Penguins very tolerant of our presence. The largest strictly land mammal is a very small insect!

How cold is it where you are living? How do you keep from freezing to death?
Aaron

Dear Aaron,
The temperatures here get pretty cold but I have come prepared with many layers of clothing and a good
set of warm gloves. Today it snowed very heavily and the temperatures with the wind chill were below zero.
Great Penguin weather but cold for us humans.

When you are out on the ocean with icebergs, are you scared your boat will sink?
Kathy G.

Dear Kathy G,
We have seen many icebergs on our voyage through the Southern Ocean, many much larger than the ship. We
have an experienced captain who has kept us away from all of them.. Did you know that you only see about 1/5 of the iceberg above the water? The rest is completely underwater!

Is it always light cause you are at the south pole?
No name included

The days here are very long with the sun finally going down around 11 PM and coming back up about 4 AM.
There is not very much time to sleep but with so much to see I hardly notice it.

In Day 4 you talked about water hot enough to boil krill. What are they?
Eric, age 9

Dear Eric,
Krill is a small type of shrimp that is the main food for Penguins, Baleen Whales, and Crabeater Seals among many other fish species. The reason that there is so much wildlife in such a barren, cold place here is the amount of krill in the water for them to feed on.

If you are at the South Pole, how come the water is not frozen?
Doug F.

Dear Doug,
The coldest water temperature that we have measured at the surface is 30°F. That is below freezing but since it is salt water instead of fresh it has a lower freezing point. The icebergs are fresh water so that is why they freeze.

What is a rookery?
No name given

A rookery is a rocky area where penguins build their nests, lay their eggs, and raise their chicks. We have seen many instances of the penguins carrying around small rocks to continue to build up the sides of their nests that may have fallen down.

Do you miss your family?
Alexia K.

Dear Alexia K.,
I am on the adventure of a lifetime down here in Antarctica but I do miss my family and friends but I can keep in touch with e-mail. I also miss all of my animals at SeaWorld and at home. I am sure that my Labrador retriever 'Bailey' will be very excited to see me upon my return.

How deep is the ocean where you are?
Brandon W.

Dear Brandon W.,
The main part of the Drake Passage has been in water about 2000 feet deep. The smaller inlets on the Antarctic continent that we anchored in were more in the 200 to 300 foot range.

How big is your boat? Do you have to share a room with anyone?
Curtis W.

Dear Curtis W.,
Our ship, the Marco Polo, is a converted Russian icebreaker that measures over 300 feet in length and stands about 50 feet tall at the bridge! Much bigger than some of the old whaling boats of years past. As for my room, I do get my own cabin. Especially with all of the gear that I needed to bring to stay warm there is little room for me.

Can you see the hole in the ozone from there?
Leslie, age 11

Dear Leslie,
The hole that is said to be in the ozone is not visible. Most of the areas that we were in were pretty overcast or snowy. We were warned about the intense sun if it did come out.

You have said that penguins, crabeater seals, and whales eat krill. What do krill eat?
Willy M.

Dear Willy M.,
Krill, a small type of shrimp, eat the floating algae that lives in the ocean. The color in the krill comes from eating the algae.

How come penguins live in rookeries? Why don't they just live in pairs like a robin?
Stacy S.

Dear Stacy S.,
Penguins feel very comfortable in rookeries. They are the most social of all birds and prefer to be in large groups. Also there is not that much available breeding space so everyone must crowd together to be successful.

I know penguins have blubber, but my dad's kinda big and he gets cold. How do penguins stay warm in freezing cold water?
Travis

Dear Travis,
I am sure that you're dad is not that big! Penguins have a layer of down feathers over their blubber and then a tight group of waterproof outer feathers over that. Along with all the feathers the blubber helps to keep them warm. Penguins actually have the most feathers per square inch of skin of any bird. About 70 feathers per square inch!

Why don't penguins fly?
Josh K.

Dear Josh K.,
Penguins have adapted to a life in the water. All of their food is in the water as well as their predators. In order to catch many of the fish species the penguins must dive very deep and have to have solid bones to withstand all of that pressure. Since they have solid bones instead of hollow bones like an eagle, penguins cannot fly but would rather swim.

Don't forget, if you have additional questions, contact our Ask Shamu Team!

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