The first gull chicks appeared at Vernadsky Research Base — photo
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There was a baby boom in the area of Vernadsky Research Base. In addition to penguins, babies have also hatched in Dominican gulls.
It was reported by the press service of the National Antarctic Research Center on Facebook.
Penguin population in the Antarctic
The researchers showed a photo of small fluffy Dominican gulls. Four chicks are currently growing on Galindez Island, where the station is located, and two pairs of gulls are expected to have more. Their nests are located near Vernadsky.
Biologist Serhii Yermolenko said that usually gulls lay two or three eggs in nests — shallow holes on the ground lined with plants and feathers. Both eggs and chicks have dark specks in their coloration: the chicks have them on their heads.
Lesser gulls have thick, silky grey-brown down, and during molting, feathers with dark diamond-shaped spots with light edging appear in some areas. At the same time, adults are black and white and have grey wings.
Newborns spend their first days in the nest and then leave it. They grow quickly and in about a month become as big as their parents. Parents take turns feeding their children in pairs of gulls, and they catch food in the ocean — mollusks and sea urchins.
In addition, gulls are called the main gardeners of Antarctica, as they use different types of plants to build nests, spreading them throughout the territory.
Earlier, the Science Center reported that about one thousand small penguins were born near Vernadsky Research Base.
And the first chicks were born in December 2024. Scientists showed photos of the newborn penguins.
