Internet Shocked by View From Antarctic Hut: 'My Jaw Dropped'

A video of penguins spotted outside a snow-filled doorstep in Port Lockroy in Antarctica has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was shared from the TikTok account of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, the British charity that manages Port Lockroy, a historic base of the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). The video has had 14.9 million views since it was first shared on November 14.

A caption shared with the post reads: "Our new team are getting to grips with life at Port Lockroy."

A woman in the video, who appears to be Bridie Martin-West, the base leader, according to a previous post, says: "Just opening the front door here. We've been a little bit snowed in, not too bad. Some fun snow."

The footage shows a mound of snow piled high along the doorstep, with several penguins seen dotted across the snowy landscape just outside the door.

Martin-West says: "And our neighbors have moved a little bit closer. We've invited them in but they've rejected our invitation today."

Life in Port Lockroy, Antarctica

While wintry scenes like the one in the latest TikTok post may be a regular occurrence in Port Lockroy, the base experiences a range of extreme weather conditions across several seasons.

The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust website explains: "From hurricane-force winds to glorious hot sunny days, from endless snow to endless rain, the one thing we know is that it can change in an instant. We have had many days where we've experienced four seasons in one.

"The mountains and glaciers which surround Port Lockroy also add to the variety, producing catabatic winds [high density air that's pulled down a slope due to gravity] and localized climatic conditions and wonderful cloud formations as they roll over the mountaintops,."

Located on Goudier Island off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Port Lockroy is the only surviving base from the first year of Operation Tabarin, an expedition that marked the U.K.'s permanent presence in Antarctica.

The expedition, which took place during World War II, had several objectives including "frustrating any enemy activity in the region, strengthening British territorial claims and collecting scientific data," the BAT government website explains.

The base was designated as historic site and monument no. 61 in 1995 due to its significant contribution to atmospheric research. From November 1996, the base has served as a historical site and museum housing artifacts from many of the historic bases, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust notes.

Port Lockroy is made up of three buildings, the largest of which is Bransfield House, home to the museum as well as a post office and shop.

The second building is the boat shed and store built in 1957, while "the third is a modern reproduction of a Nissen hut," a semicircular steel structure typically used for military purposes.

The Nissen hut "stood on the same site from 1944 but had collapsed by 1994" and is now used as staff accommodation, the charity said.

The small team working at Port Lockroy live in close quarters with no running water and limited facilities, the BAT website notes.

'Frozen in Place'

Several TikTok users were blown away by the scene captured in the latest viral post.

Hugo noted: "I legit thought those penguins were frozen in place."

Niki Loan said: "So I'm the only one who thought the penguins were frozen???"

Abi <3 wrote: "Awww I love this. Imagine opening up your door to that."

User irdinaclifton said: "Bro my jaw dropped to the floor the moment u opened the door omg..."

Mia B. noted: "@Nakupendakenya Safari oh my, i wanna live here."

User marieanne1989 said: "Is anyone freezing by looking at it?..because I am."

User soriasisse agreed, saying: "How do you not immediately freeze to death upon opening that door?!!!"

Sara Louise noted: "How cool is that? Penguins in the garden."

Miss Mara/1226 agreed, writing: "Penguins are your neighbors?! So Cool...'ALMOST' makes me want to leave FL, almost."

Newsweek has contacted the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust for comment via email and TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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