Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

ow back to Grytviken along the outer edge of the kelp. I turned back to camp, quite
wet, and set about drying my things.
Heavy snow continued during the night and the wind increased towards
morning, with about six inches of fresh snow. After a leisurely breakfast I skied
around the beaches. It was windy and unpleasant, with very high breakers all along
the shore. At the harem in area 1 the bull was engaged in collecting three more cows,
but the other bulls were paying no attention, and were not noticed by bull A; the
nearest lay only 8 yards from the harem.
The other large harem in area 8 now numbered 28 cows and 5 pups, but I was
able to mark only one of the two cows with new pups. The cows here were very shy
and left their pups at the first sign of trouble. Two pups were crushed beneath cows
and bull, and emerged looking dazed, but otherwise none the worse. The harem bull
attempted copulation with an unmarked and therefore pregnant cow, but she was
very unwilling. Altogether there were now 127 seals in the whole area – 71 of them
cows.
I returned to camp as the wind increased in violence, and was confined to the
tent for the rest of the day, except when I went out to tighten up the guys. At times
the gusts were exceptionally strong, (perhaps 80 knots) and I didn’t feel too happy.
One of them whisked away the generator cover and I couldn’t find it. The wind
continued strong throughout the night and about two inches of fresh snow fell. It
was blowing hard next morning, but after breakfast I left to go round the beaches
although it hadn’t abated much. It was still blowing fitfully, but the wind had
dropped, The sea was not so rough.
There were no new pups, but I was able to mark the cow that pupped in area 8
the day before and had wandered away from the harem. There were now six harems,
the largest with 33 cows and 5 pups, in area 8, the next largest with 25 cows and 2
pups in area 1. In these two harems the bull seemed to have no trouble with other
bulls, which kept at least 20 yards away from it. If they came nearer than this the
harem bull roared and if necessary made for the intruder. Yet the day before bulls
lying nearer to the harem weren’t disturbed, possibly because they were motionless
and showed no aggression. Several bulls had taken to the water and presumably
moved to a different part of the shore. I noticed several cows and bulls flipping snow
onto their backs, a displacement activity.
Some of the cows were very large – and old – but many seemed quite small. (The
pups also looked to be smaller than those born in the South Orkneys). Two yearlings
were still present in the area. The total count was 163 seal, of which 56 were bulls.
Later the wind dropped slightly and I went out again and sat for about 30-40 minutes
watching the harems in area 8 from the hill above; it was cold. None of the pups were
sucking; only two were with their mothers and others were wandering around,
yapping incessantly. They were snapped at by other cows and pecked at by
sheathbills. These are daring rogues, pecking the cows’ hindquarters, also the pups
fore- and hind-flippers. The seals have no effective retaliation, for when they swing
around roaring the cause of the trouble walks off sedately, just out of range.
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