The first Weddell seal pups of this year have been born near the Ukrainian research station Vernadsky in Antarctica. Two pups came into the world on Winter Island almost at the same time.

Source: National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: Zoia Shvydka, a biologist from the 30th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition, suggested that both pups are females, as they lack a specific spot on their bellies.

“Just like last year, the first seal pups were born on Winter Island, located opposite Galindez Island, where our station is situated,” the National Antarctic Scientific Center said. “To avoid disturbing the mothers, the polar explorers mostly use drones to observe the families. In fact, this is how they watched the births, deeply empathising with the mothers.”

The polar explorers explain that a female can give birth to only one pup, which she nurses for about three months.

Monitoring Weddell seals’ breeding success is an important part of studying the pace of global warming.

“This process largely depends on the presence of sea ice, as pups are born on it or on shores with convenient access to the water. With climate change, unfortunately, the amount of sea ice is decreasing. Accordingly, conditions for Weddell seal births are deteriorating,” the National Antarctic Scientific Center noted.

A seal pup and its mother. Photo: Zoia Shvydka, Roman Hlushchenko, Yevhen Shatalov

The polar explorers invite Ukrainians to help choose names for the two newborns.

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