The Shag Rocks cover a total area of less than 20 hectares (49 acres).

The main wildlife found on the rocks are the South Georgia shags,[3] prions and wandering albatrosses.

However, the Aurora Islands are considered by many to have been a mistaken sighting that was coincidentally near the Shag Rocks, which were known to sealers prior to 1823.

They were later rediscovered by James P. Sheffield and given their current name, probably because shags and other seabirds frequent them.

The first known landing was made in 1956 when Argentine geologist Mario Giovinetto was lowered from a helicopter to collect rock samples.