Every year beginning in October, Weddell seals gather in Antarctica's Erebus Bay to give birth and raise their pups. And every year for the past 42 years, a dedicated research team returns to Erebus Bay to gather new population data on these Weddell seal mothers and pups.

This blog will document some of the researchers' work as they continue one of the longest running population studies of a long-lived mammal, on the most remote continent on our planet.

The research project is funded by the National Science Foundation through the U.S. Antarctic Program. Co-Principal Investigators are Robert Garrott and Jay Rotella, professors in the Department of Ecology at Montana State University, and Don Siniff, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota.

Please check back often for new video and multimedia blog posts as the Weddell seal pupping season gets underway in Antarctica's Erebus Bay!