French Southern and Antarctic Lands – Terre Adélie

Postcard from Terre Adélie, the French claim in Antarctica, showing a group, or a "waddle" as they are known, of emperor penguins. Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species, with an average height of 1.2 metres. Their diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include crustaceans and squid. In hunting, they can remain submerged up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 metres!

Stamp of DC4 plane from a 2012 series of six showing the evolution of transport in polar areas. DC4s were initially produced during World War II and continued to be used in civilian service through to the 1960s.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands – Kerguelen II

Postcard of an elephant seal pup, Mirounga leonina, lounging on beach of the French sub-Antarctic island Kerguelen. Southern elephant seals are the largest seal species and, in fact, the largest carnivores living today, with males typically weighing 2,200–4,000 kilograms and measuring 4.2–5.8 meters long! They can dive for 20 minutes at a time and have been recorded at depths exceeding 2,000 meters.

Stamp showing the Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, a relatively large and abundant seal noted for having the most southerly distribution of any mammal, with a habitat that extends as far south as McMurdo Sound at 77° S.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands – Crozet

The Roche Percée off the coast of Possession Island, which is part of the subantarctic Crozet Archipelago, located halfway between Madagascar and Antarctica. The island is an important breeding site for seabirds and is also home to the French research station, Alfred Faure, which is where the card was postmarked. Alfred Faure is visited a few times a year by an oceanographic research vessel that delivers supplies and rotating crews of scientists, so this card had quite a journey to get there and back to me!

Set of two stamps from a series featuring minerals found in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands territory.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands – Kerguelen

Seaward bound king penguins on Kerguelen Island, a sub-Antarctic island equidistant from African and Australia.

Artedidraco orianae, or plunderfish, lives in Antarctic waters. Funnily enough, it is a common prey for emperor penguins!