Île de Croÿ

Île de Croÿ is an island under French jurisdiction. It is part of an archipelago known as the Kerguelen Islands, situated approximately 10 miles (16 kilometres) north-west of the main island. It is located at 48°38'19.3"S 68°37'18.6"E ^[1] and currently has no permanent population.

Île de Croÿ within
Kerguelen archipelago

History

Île de Croÿ was discovered in 1776 by Captain James Cook as part of his renowned nautical expedition through the southern hemisphere. It is the largest of five islands in a small group Cook named the 'Cloudy Isles', now known as Iles Nuageuses.^[2]

Geography and Geology

Île de Croÿ, at its highest peak, rises 1,699 feet (518 meters) above sea level. The island stretches 3.49 miles (5.61 kilometers) long between its furthermost points,^[1] and covers an area of approximately 6.2 square miles (16 square kilometres).The majority of the archipelago is the result of volcanic activity, as indicated by its high concentration of flood basalt and trachytic ignimbrite.^[3] The composition and burial depth of the ignimbrite indicates that the last major volcanic eruption in the area occurred between 23,000 and 29,000 years ago,^[3] near the end of the Pleistocene.^[4]

Climate

The temperature in Île de Croÿ is usually very cold, with a temperature averaging 9 degrees celsius in its summer months, and an extremely varying but generally below freezing in winter months. It is classified as a tundra environment^[5] due to its low temperature and significant precipitation.^[6]

Plants and animals

Further information: List of mammals of French Southern Territories

Living on the island are penguins, albatrosses, and seals.^[7][8]

No introduced species are present.^[9]

List of animal species present on the island^[9][10]

Common name	Scientific name	IUCN Red List status	IUCN Red List citation
Antarctic fur seal	Arctocephalus gazella	Least Concern	[1]
Antarctic prion	Pachyptila desolata	Least Concern	[2]
Black-browed albatross	Thalassarche melanophris	Least Concern	[3]
Black-faced sheathbill	Chionis minor	Least Concern	[4]
Common diving petrel	Pelecanoides urinatrix	Least Concern	[5]
Eaton's pintail	Anas eatoni	Vunerable	[6]
Gentoo penguin	Pygoscelis papua	Least Concern	[7]
Grey-headed albatross	Thalassarche chrysostoma	Endangered	[8]
Kerguelen petrel	Aphrodroma brevirostris	Least Concern	[9]
Kerguelen tern	Sterna virgata	Near Threatened	[10]
Light-mantled albatross	Phoebetria palpebrata	Near Threatened	[11]
Northern giant petrel	Macronectes halli	Least Concern	[12]
Snowy albatross	Diomedea exulans	Vunerable	[13]
Southern rockhopper penguin	Eudyptes chrysocome	Vunerable	[14]
White-chinned petrel	Procellaria aequinoctialis	Vunerable	[15]
Wilson's storm petrel	Oceanites oceanicus	Least Concern	[16]