South Georgia Wildlife

Hard to miss being a dominant force on many beaches, the islands’ seal population is truly staggering.

Fur seals: There are well over 2 million southern fur seals, with 95% of the world's population converging on South Georgia each summer. The fur seal population was all but wiped out by sealers but they’ve sprung back with a vengeance. Found in such thick densities in December at the height of the breeding season, going ashore can be a real challenge and at times it simply isn’t practical to try to do so. Caution when walking amongst fur seals is strongly advised as they can be aggressive.

Elephant seals: On top of the fur seals, half of the world's population of southern elephant seals (more than 400,000 individual animals) also come to South Georgia to breed. Their curious name comes from their vast size and the large proboscis belonging to the massive adult males. Males elephant seals can be over 20 feet/ 6m long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds (4,000kg) making the beachmaster males defending their harem during November’s mating season a formidable sight.

A haven for birdlife, South Georgia is the world’s most important seabird breeding site with an estimated population of well over 10 million birds.

There are 78 known bird species on South Georgia, including half the world’s population of Antarctic prions and 250,000 albatrosses of different species. One fifth of the world’s wandering albatrosses - the bird with the largest wingspan of all at over 3 metres - also calls this small island ‘Home’.

For bird enthusiasts, Prion Island is a ‘must see’ and well worth timing your visit when it's open to visitors. The biggest drawcard are the nesting wandering albatross sites which are accessible via a series of boardwalks. Access to the island is strictly controlled; it's closed to all visitors between 20th November - 7th January (inclusive).

One of the great benefits of exploring South Georgia by ship is the chance to see cetaceans, the oceans gracile giants.

Humpbacks start to arrive from their tropical breeding grounds in November and are frequently sighted, particularly between the island and Antarctica. Easily identified by their long white pectoral fins.

Fin whales are also in residence, the second-largest of the great whales, particularly off the island’s southern coast. There’s also the possibility of sighting both southern right and blue whales.

Blue whales are easy to spot by their sheer bulk and their small curved dorsal fin located well back on the body. The dorsal fin and pigmentation pattern on the side of blue whales provide a fingerprint for identification.