NSF Polar Program
U.S. Antarctic Program
The National Zoo's Antarctica Expedition is sponsored by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.
All photographs depicting Weddell seals were taken under NMFS Permit No. 763-1485-00 issued under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The Swimming Lesson
Mother Weddell seals teach their pups to swim, and sometimes it takes some coaxing. This sequence shows a mother vocalizing and gesturing to her pup to encourage it to enter the slush-ice in a small ice hole near camp. All photos by Jon Robinson.
