The global population of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) is around 50,000 pairs. They are the top avian predator in the Antarctic. This is one of the most sexually size-dimorphic of all seabirds, with males around 20% larger than females and with much more robust bills. Both sexes will feed at sea, sometimes travelling >1000 km from colonies but male giant petrels in particular also target penguin chicks and adults around their colonies, and fight over seal and other carrion on land. Old-time whalers used to call them ‘breakbones’ or ‘stinkers’ because of their frequent blood-stained brawls over carrion meat.
The English Coast of Antarctica lies 600km from the nearest research station – a remote frontier, where the ice cliffs of the Stange Ice Shelf mark the edge of a giant floating, frozen wilderness. It is here that the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) attempted a logistics operation on a grand scale: a rare and ambitious rendezvous of sea, land and air operations, literally in the middle of nowhere.
The Aurora Australis can often be seen from Antarctica and other southern hemisphere locations, particularly near the Antarctic circle. The word “aurora” is the Latin word for lights, “australis” being the Latin word for southern. The Aurora Australis can be seen from southern polar regions, such as Antarctic bases, The Falklands Islands, New Zealand, and southern South America.
The global population of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) is around 50,000 pairs. They are the top avian predator in the Antarctic. This is one of the most sexually size-dimorphic of all seabirds, with males around 20% larger than females and with much more robust bills. Both sexes will feed at sea, sometimes travelling >1000 km from colonies but male giant petrels in particular also target penguin chicks and adults around their colonies, and fight over seal and other carrion on land. Old-time whalers used to call them ‘breakbones’ or ‘stinkers’ because of their frequent blood-stained brawls over carrion meat.
The English Coast of Antarctica lies 600km from the nearest research station – a remote frontier, where the ice cliffs of the Stange Ice Shelf mark the edge of a giant floating, frozen wilderness. It is here that the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) attempted a logistics operation on a grand scale: a rare and ambitious rendezvous of sea, land and air operations, literally in the middle of nowhere.
The Aurora Australis can often be seen from Antarctica and other southern hemisphere locations, particularly near the Antarctic circle. The word “aurora” is the Latin word for lights, “australis” being the Latin word for southern. The Aurora Australis can be seen from southern polar regions, such as Antarctic bases, The Falklands Islands, New Zealand, and southern South America.
Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) is pleased to report a year of robust financial performance, modernisation and community-focused transformation, as it continues to build on its legacy as a cornerstone of Manx life, delivering dependable and sustainable services that benefit the Island’s economy and support the community.
