Spectacular new pictures of killer whales have emerged from Antarctica, as a group of scientists from the University of Canterbury return home from the frozen continent.
The orcas put on a show for the cameras as they made their way south along what's known as the "Whale Highway" in the Ross Sea.
"It's their home, they're wondering what we're doing and within ten minutes they started showing up and checking what we're doing," Dr Regina Eisert from the University of Canterbury told 1 NEWS.
The team has set up underwater acoustic recorders and time-lapse cameras, with the data allowing scientists to trace the orcas' movements and match their sounds to identify individuals.
"We know nothing about them basically. We don't know how many there are and we don't know how they'd be affected by fishing," Dr Eisert said.
Skin samples are also being taken to analyse the killer whale's diet and DNA.
The study also hopes to help maintain the protected status of the Ross Sea region.
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