Excitement as underwater camera records ‘first-ever’ images of a rare deep-sea creature
Photographer Justin Hofman says he has captured what are “probably the very first underwater photographs” of a Ross seal. The images show a rarely seen Antarctic species and reflect the effort required to photograph them.
How he captured the images
The images were taken while Hofman, a photographer with fifteen seasons’ experience in Antarctica, was on an expedition aboard the National Geographic Resolution. Passenger and videographer Ayla Townsend also captured video of the same seal. The pair shared the encounter on social media, making the footage widely visible.
Hofman said: ‘In 15 seasons working in Antarctica, I’ve only seen two Ross seals, and this is the second.’ He added that the sighting occurred ‘further south than I’d ever been.’
A hard-to-find seal in its natural home
People Magazine describes Ross seals as the smallest and rarest of the true Antarctic seals. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition notes that their breeding and moult take place in remote areas south of 60°S (60° south latitude), which makes them difficult to study and observe.
There is little information on these solitary animals, which are known to avoid human contact. The photographs provide rare visual data. Hofman said photographing a Ross seal underwater had been a ‘moonshot’ goal that, against the odds, became reality. He said: ‘Well, Christmas came a bit early this year.’
What this may contribute
Capturing what may be the first underwater images of this species adds to visual records of Antarctic biodiversity and may be useful to researchers and marine wildlife observers. The work of Hofman and Townsend contributes to knowledge of the natural world and may encourage interest in often overlooked ecosystems.
The images are a reminder that targeted field efforts can produce rare observations, even of elusive species.