Salisbury Plain, South Georgia facts for kids
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Salisbury Plain (also called Spanish: Llanura de Salisbury) is a wide, flat area of land right next to the ocean. It is located on the northern coast of South Georgia, which is a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. This special place sits between the mouths of two large glaciers, Grace Glacier and Lucas Glacier. To its south, you can see Mount Ashley.
Salisbury Plain is famous for being a very important home for many animals. It is especially known as a breeding ground for a massive number of King penguins. You can find as many as 60,000 of these penguins living there! The beaches of Salisbury Plain are also covered with many Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals.
Contents
Exploring Salisbury Plain
Who First Studied Salisbury Plain?
An American bird expert named Robert Cushman Murphy was the first person to study the birds in this area very closely. He did his research in 1912 and 1913. He even named the nearby Grace Glacier after his wife.
How Did Salisbury Plain Get Its Name?
The name "Salisbury Plain" first appeared on a map made by the British Admiralty in 1931. The British Admiralty was a part of the British government that managed the Royal Navy and created sea charts.
Animals of Salisbury Plain
King Penguins: Life on the Plain
King penguins are the second-largest type of penguin in the world. They love the cold waters around South Georgia. Salisbury Plain offers them a safe place to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. The huge number of penguins here makes it one of the most amazing wildlife sights on Earth.
How King Penguins Reproduce
King penguins have a long breeding cycle. They lay one egg at a time. Both parents take turns keeping the egg warm on their feet, under a special flap of skin. This keeps the egg safe from the cold ground. Once the chick hatches, both parents work together to feed it until it is old enough to go to sea on its own.
Seals: Resting and Breeding
Besides penguins, Salisbury Plain is also a vital spot for seals. Both Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals come to these beaches.
Southern Elephant Seals
Southern elephant seals are the largest seals in the world. They spend most of their lives in the ocean, but they come to Salisbury Plain to rest, shed their old skin, and have their pups. The males are much bigger than the females and have a large nose that looks like an elephant's trunk.
Antarctic Fur Seals
Antarctic fur seals are smaller than elephant seals. They also come to Salisbury Plain to breed and raise their young. These seals were once hunted a lot, but now their numbers are growing, and Salisbury Plain is an important place for them to recover.
See also
In Spanish: Llanura de Salisbury para niños
