冰雪世界 4

First though valuable nesting places

must be defended from property thieves

After laying their eggs

the petrels take time out to clean their plumage

The south polar skua is a formidable opportunist

but the skuas have not chanced upon the petrels

they've been waiting for them

These birds do not need to go to the ocean for their food

The skuas can survive further south than any other predator

by exploiting the petrels' desperate need for bare rock

Even at the height of summer

less than 3% of Antarctica is free of ice

and nearly all of that exposed rock

is found in one place - the Antarctic Peninsula

Its long arm extends further north than the rest of the continent

so spring arrives here first