Animals of the Southern Ocean - Wild South America

As the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean surge around the base of the world, only the southern tip of South America interrupts their path. But it isn't an impenetrable barrier. It's a maze of channels and islands. Deep fjords extend far into the interior, letting rich, cold water reach right to the foot of the Andes. The forces that carve these channels begin high in the mountains. Huge glaciers grind their way down from the great Patagonian ice sheet. When the ice sheet was even larger than it is today, these glaciers scoured deep trenches in the rock. The valleys they created filled with the rising waters of the sea. Some were gouged so deep that only just offshore, the bottom is an incredible 120 metres down. This labyrinth of channels is one of the least explored areas on Earth. As the cold water pushes deep into the heart of Patagonia, it brings with it the animals of the Southern Ocean. Like fur seals. Mostly they live on the exposed coast, but wandering young males are drawn into these sheltered fjords by the rich feeding here. They can dive as deep as 170 metres to hunt the seafloor, but they feed mostly at night when the fish come closer to the surface. Large eyes help them see in the dark, and they may also use echolocation. The fjords are often stormy, but they're less exposed than the open ocean, so these fur seals can take advantage of the calm waters to rest. On the edge of the channels are great forests of kelp. This giant seaweed is the fastest growing plant in the world. Its stems can be up to 30 metres long. Like any jungle, the kelp has its predators. These aren't fur seals, but sea lions. They prefer to hunt in these shallower waters, searching for animals hiding amongst the weed. Kelp beds are the rainforests of the sea. From sunlit canopy to shadowy forest floor, they support a wealth of strange creatures. It's an ideal hunting ground for sea lions. Like the rainforest, this is a world that has yet to be fully explored.