Antarctica is a continent located in the very south of the Earth, covered with a layer of ice 2000 - 2500 meters thick.

Antarctica has its own distinctive features from other continents, namely:

• cold, in which all living beings adapt;
• dry air, precipitation is extremely rare.

One of the main land inhabitants are penguins. There are 4 types of penguins in Antarctica. The largest penguin population is the emperor penguin.

Emperor penguins are the best at adapting to extreme low temperatures and strong winds, because they have several layers of warm feathers that help to overcome the icy wind and keep warm.

The short bill and thick layer of blubber prevent heat loss and help penguins stay warm.

Some worms, lower crustaceans and wingless insects are found in Antarctica. Of the birds, the most popular are the white plover and the pipit.

Skuas are arrogant and rather nasty birds, because they are always trying to steal something. The absence of wings in wingless insects is explained by the fact that strong winds constantly blow on the continent.

Also on the shores of Antarctica you can meet blue whales, which are attracted by the abundance of shrimp. Most of all on the southern continent of seals.

Sea leopards and sea elephants live on the coast. Seals inhabit the entire coast of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth. All living beings adapt and learn to survive in difficult conditions. Despite such a harsh climate, life has survived on the continent.

I like animals a lot! I myself didn’t have anyone: fish, a cat, guinea pig, chinchilla and even a parrot! Moreover, not only domesticated animals cause delight and tenderness in me. For example, I just love the penguins living in the snow-white expanses of Antarctica! I'll tell you who else lives in such harsh conditions.

Land Animals of Antarctica

There are not many varieties of birds here. This is due natural conditions. In this area you can find:

Aquatic animals of Antarctica

The local fish are really amazing! They have adapted to life in icy water. The local waters are densely populated with zooplankton. It serves as the main food for larger animals: fur seals, seals and whales. There are also small dolphins, which are also called sea cows.

Blue whales live in Antarctica. Here they are lured by an abundance of shrimp. Just imagine, a whale can reach 40 meters in length! A heart can weigh a ton! Compared to a human, this animal is a whole mountain!

On the coast you can see other giants - sea leopards. This is a special kind of seal. It mainly feeds on krill, but in the fall, to diversify its diet, it hunts large animals.

Sea elephants also live here.

These animals are amazing in that they have much more fat than meat! Thanks to this, they feel quite comfortable at critically low temperatures.

Although Antarctica can be called a real ice kingdom on Earth, here, just like in other parts of our planet, there is life, about which we know very little. Let's find out a few interesting facts about the animals that inhabit Antarctica:

- Antarctica is the only place on the planet where emperor penguins are found. This species of penguin is the heaviest of all existing in the world, and they can also breed in the difficult conditions of the Antarctic winter;

- The Weddell seal is one of the cutest animals on the planet, and you can simply admire its face with huge eyes. Seals of this species are excellent divers and can hold their breath for a long time, which allows them to descend to search for food to a depth of 800 meters;

- The blue or blue whale is the largest animal. Its weight reaches 150 tons. The heart of this giant alone weighs more than a ton. In one day, a whale can eat up to 4 million shrimp;

- the petrel bird of prey feeds not only on fish, but also sometimes hunts for penguins. During the migration period, these strong birds with the help of wind power can go around Earth;

- due to the incredibly strong winds in Antarctica, there is not a single flying insect. Here you can only meet the wingless midge Belgica Antarctida, no more than one and a half centimeters in length;

- Antarctica is the only continent on which there are no ants at all;

- in Antarctica there are no terrestrial representatives of the animal world, except for penguins;

- many are mistaken, believing that Antarctica is inhabited by polar bears. They are not there, and their habitat is the Arctic. However, scientists are increasingly thinking about how to populate polar bears in Antarctica, as the Antarctic begins to gradually thaw;

- in Antarctica, the largest subspecies of seals is found, which is the southern elephant seal. In one such individual, there is much more fat than meat. These interesting animals are known for mating games, during which they can be seriously injured;

- here you can meet such a dangerous predator as a sea leopard. Due to the developed muscles and relatively thin layer of fat, this animal is quite mobile, which allows it to hunt not only big fish but also on penguins and seals. That's just for its mobility, the sea leopard pays less resistance to cold.

What animals live in Antarctica, if you are interested in this question, then in the next article, you will certainly find all the necessary and useful information.

What is Antarctica? Where is Antarctica located?

Antarctica - continent, which is southern hemisphere around the geographic south pole, washed by the Southern Ocean, covers approximately 12% of the Earth's land mass. The continent contains 90% of the world's ice reserves, which contain 70% of the fresh water on Earth.

What animals live in Antarctica?

Animals that live in Antarctica are migratory because the climate of the continent is too difficult.

Mammals of Antarctica

• Kerguelen fur seal
• sea ​​leopard
• crabeater seal
• Weddell seal
• southern elephant seal

Flying birds of Antarctica

• Antarctic tern
• Antarctic blue-eyed cormorant
• white plover
• Pintado
• snow petrel
• wandering albatross
• south polar skua
• giant petrel

Penguins of Antarctica

• emperor penguin
• king penguin
• subantarctic penguin

Other animals

• Antarctic krill
• Belgica antarctica

Blue whales. They are one of the most mysterious and strange creatures on Earth. Blue whale are the largest animal on the planet, weighing over 100 tons, they easily outweigh heavy dinosaurs. Even the "ordinary" whale is huge and is considered truly impressive creations of nature. Whales are huge but elusive mammals and difficult to study. They are very smart, with complex social life and complete freedom of movement.

Fur seal. By appearance and manner, these mammals resemble a large dog. They are able to pull their rear flippers under their body and lift their weight with their front flippers, so they are much more flexible on land than other pinnipeds. Males reach a mass of 200 kg and 4 times more than females. They are limited mainly to the subantarctic islands, with 95% of the population on South Georgia Island.

Sea leopard. Called the "leopard seal" due to the spots on its body, it is one of the largest predators in Antarctica. The weight of males is up to 300 kg, and females - 260-500 kg. The body length of males varies between 2.8-3.3 m, and females 2.9-3.8 m.

The diet of sea leopards is very diverse. They can eat any animal they can kill. The diet consists of fish, squid, penguins, birds and seal pups.

Antarctic tern. A typical representative of the tern family. It is a small bird 31-38 cm long, weighing 95-120 g, and with a wingspan of 66-77 cm. Its beak is usually dark red or blackish. The plumage is mostly light gray or white, there is a black “cap” on the head. The wingtips of this tern are greyish-black.

They feed on fish and krill, especially when they are in Antarctica. Terns notice their prey from the air, and then dive into the water after it.

We hope the information in this article was useful to you and now you know the answer to the question "What animals live in Antarctica?".

Antarctica is a continent with harsh climatic conditions. The temperature in most of the mainland never rises above freezing, and the entire continent is covered in ice. However, the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is one of the most amazing ecosystems on Earth and is home to many incredible creatures.

Most animals are migratory, because the climate of the continent is too difficult for permanent residence and wintering.

At the same time, many species are found only in Antarctica (animals that live in only one area are called endemic) and have managed to perfectly adapt to the harsh environment. Because Antarctica was only discovered 200 years ago, native species are not accustomed to human society, which leads to one of the most surprising features of Antarctica's wildlife: people are as interesting to them as they are to people. For visitors, this means that most animals can be approached and won't run away, and for explorers, the opportunity to better understand the fauna of Antarctica. However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the Antarctic treaties prohibit touching wild animals!

In this article, we have compiled a list with brief description and photos of some famous representatives of the fauna of the coldest continent on the planet - Antarctica.

mammals

whales

Whales are one of the most mysterious and amazing creatures on Earth. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on the planet, weighing over 100 tons, they easily outweigh the heaviest dinosaurs. Even the "ordinary" whale is huge and is considered a truly impressive creation of nature. Whales are huge but elusive mammals and difficult to study. They are highly intelligent, with complex social lives and complete freedom of movement.

Whales belong to the order of mammals, called, along with dolphins and porpoises. They are the same mammals as people, dogs, cats, elephants and others. That is, they cannot be called fish. Whales breathe air and therefore must rise to the surface at regular intervals to take a breath. They give birth to live young, which stay with their mother for a year and feed on her milk. Whales are warm-blooded and have a skeleton similar to a human (albeit heavily modified).

Whales of Antarctica are called all whales that spend at least part of the time of the year near the coast of the continent. These include:

• Blue whale (Average length of an adult male is 25 m, females - 26.2 m. The average body weight of an adult is 100 - 120 tons);
• Southern right whale (Average length 20m and weight 96t);
• (Body length 18 m, weight - 80 tons);
• (Length from 18 to 27 m, weight 40-70 tons);
• sperm whale (average length 17 m, average weight 35 tons);
• Humpback whale (Average length 14 m, weight - 30 tons);
• (Length - 9 m, weight - 7 tons);
• Killer whale (Body length from 8.7 to 10 m, weight up to 8 tons).

Kerguelen fur seal

The Kerguelen fur seal belongs to a family known as eared seals. (Otariidae), which includes fur seals and sea lions.

In appearance and manner, these mammals resemble a large dog. They are able to pull their rear flippers under their body and lift their weight with their front flippers, so they are much more flexible on land than other pinnipeds.

Males reach a mass of 200 kg and 4 times more than females. They are limited mainly to the subantarctic islands, with 95% of the population on South Georgia Island.

Sea leopard

Named the leopard seal because of the spots on its body, it is one of the largest predators in Antarctica. The weight of males is up to 300 kg, and females - 260-500 kg. The body length of males varies between 2.8-3.3 m, and females 2.9-3.8 m.

The diet of sea leopards is very diverse. They can eat any animal they can kill. The diet consists of fish, squid, penguins, birds and seal pups.

Sea leopards are not skilled divers, compared to other marine mammals. The longest dive does not last more than 15 minutes, so the animals stay close to open water rather than diving long distances under continuous ice. They are able to swim at speeds up to 40 km/h.

crabeater seal

Crab-eating seals are believed to be the most numerous large mammals on the continent. Adult individuals weigh 200-300 kg and have a body length of about 2.6 m. Sexual dimorphism in these seals is not pronounced. These are rather solitary animals, however, they can lie in small groups, which gives the impression of a social family. Real communication is possible between mothers and their babies.

They do not feed on crabs, despite their name. Their diet consists of 95% Antarctic krill, the rest is squid and fish. They are well adapted for catching krill due to the teeth that form a sieve to catch prey from the water.

Since crabeater seals feed mainly on krill, they do not need to dive deep and for long periods. A typical dive to a depth of 20-30 m lasts about 11 minutes, however they have been recorded at a depth of 430 m.

Weddell seal

Weddell seals are mammals that live on the ice. The weight of adults varies between 400-450 kg, and the body length is 2.9 m (for males) and 3.3 m (for females).

They feed mainly on fish, as well as squid and invertebrates in much smaller quantities. Weddell seals are excellent divers, able to dive to a depth of 600 meters and spend up to 82 minutes underwater.

It is rather difficult to estimate the size of the population of these animals, since they live near the Arctic Circle and on drifting ice.

southern elephant seal

Southern elephant seals are the largest of all seals and show marked sexual dimorphism. The weight of males varies in the range of 1500-3700 kg, and females - 350-800 kg. The body length of males is 4.5-5.8 m, and females - 2.8 m.

The diet consists mainly of squid, but fish is also present (about 75% squid and up to 25% fish). Males tend to move further south in pursuit of their prey.

Southern elephant seals are impressive divers, diving to a depth of 300-500 m for 20-30 minutes. They are found throughout Antarctica, all the way to the deep south.

Birds

flying

Antarctic tern

The Antarctic tern is a typical member of the tern family. It is a small bird 31-38 cm long, weighing 95-120 g, and with a wingspan of 66-77 cm. Its beak is usually dark red or blackish. The plumage is mostly light gray or white, there is a black "cap" on the head. The wingtips of this tern are greyish-black.

They feed on fish and krill, especially when they are in Antarctica. Terns notice their prey from the air, and then dive into the water after it.

Antarctic blue-eyed cormorant

The Antarctic blue-eyed cormorant is the only member of the cormorant family found in Antarctica. They live along the South Antilles Ridge and the Antarctic Peninsula, deepening to the south. These cormorants are characterized by bright eye color and an orange-yellow growth at the base of the bill that becomes especially large and bright during the breeding season. Body weight is 1.8-3.5 kg, while males are slightly heavier than females. The body length varies from 68 to 76 cm, and the wingspan is about 1.1 m.

They feed mainly on fish, often forming a "trap" of tens or hundreds of birds that repeatedly dive into the water and help each other catch fish. These cormorants are able to dive to a depth of 116 m. While swimming, they hold their wings tightly to their bodies and use their webbed feet.

white plover

The white plover is one of two species in the genus Chionidae. She prefers a terrestrial lifestyle. When walking, he nods his head like a dove. Body weight varies from 460 to 780 g, body length is 34-41 cm, and wingspan is 75-80 cm.

Pintado

The Cape dove belongs to the petrel family. Its weight is up to 430 g, the body length is 39 cm, and the wingspan reaches 86 cm. The color of the feathers of this bird is black and white.

The Cape Dove feeds on krill, fish, squid, carrion, and offal from ships, if available. Usually they catch prey on the surface of the water, but sometimes they dive shallowly.

snow petrel

Snow petrels are white birds with black beaks and eyes. They are about the size of a dove and are perhaps the most beautiful of all Antarctic birds. The body length is 30-40 cm, the wingspan is 75-95 cm, and the weight is 240-460 g.

They feed mainly on krill and must always be close to the sea to have access to food. They are found along the coast of Antarctica, and are known to nest far inland (up to 325 km from the coast), in mountains that jut out from the surrounding ice.

wandering albatross

The wandering albatross is the bird with the longest wingspan (3.1 to 3.5 m). This bird can make long flights for 10-20 days, up to 10,000 km, using hardly more energy than when sitting on the nest.

The average weight is from 5.9 to 12.7 kg, males are approximately 20% heavier than females. Body length varies from 107 to 135 cm.

The basis of the diet is fish, squid and crustaceans. The bird hunts at night on the surface of the water or diving shallowly. Wandering albatrosses follow boats and vessels of any type where food is dumped. This is especially true for fishing vessels that throw fish waste overboard.

South polar skua

The south polar skua is a rather large bird. The average weight of males is 900-1600 g and they tend to be slightly smaller and lighter than females. Average length: 50-55 cm and a wingspan of 130-140 cm. They breed in continental Antarctica and breed far south. These birds have been recorded at the South Pole.

They feed mainly on fish and krill, although penguin eggs, chicks and carrion may also be included in the diet, depending on the habitat. South polar skuas have been observed stealing fish from other bird species.

Southern giant petrel

The southern giant petrel is a bird of prey from the petrel family. Their weight is 5 kg, and the body length is 87 cm. The wingspan varies from 180 to 205 cm.

The diet consists of dead seal and penguin carcasses, carrion, squid, krill, crustaceans, and offal from ships or fishing boats.

Most often, these birds are found on the Antarctic and subantarctic islands. They nest on open ground, in the Falkland Islands.

Flightless

emperor penguin

Emperor penguins are the largest penguins in the world, with an average weight of about 30 kg (but can reach 40 kg), and a height of 1.15 m. Males and females have similar color and body sizes. The back and head are black, the belly is white, the chest is pale yellow, there are bright yellow spots in the area of ​​the ears. Like all penguins, they are wingless, with a streamlined body and wings flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.

Its diet consists mainly of fish, but may also include crustaceans and cephalopods. When hunting, these birds can stay underwater for up to 18 minutes and dive to depths of 535 m. It has several adaptations for this, including unusually structured hemoglobin, hard bones, and the ability to reduce metabolism.

The emperor penguin breeds in cold environments. The species has adapted in several ways to counteract heat loss: feathers provide 80-90% insulation, and it has a layer of subcutaneous fat that reaches 3 cm thick; downy undercoat, combined with plumage, plays decisive role in keeping birds warm; the feather cleaning process is vital in providing insulation and in keeping the plumage oily and water repellent.

king penguin

The king penguin is the second largest penguin species after the emperor. Growth is from 70 to 100 cm, and weight is from 9.3 to 18 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. The plumage of king penguins is much brighter than that of their close relative of the emperor species, but is otherwise similar.

king penguins eating small fish and squid. They can dive to depths of 100m, but have also been seen at depths of over 300m. Fish make up 80-100% of their diet except for winter months of the year.

King penguins breed on the subantarctic islands, in the northern regions of Antarctica, as well as on Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands and other islands with a temperate climate.

subantarctic penguin

The subantarctic penguin, also known as the gentoo penguin. It is easily recognizable by the wide white stripe running across the top of its head and its bright orange-red beak. This species has pale webbed feet and a fairly long tail, the most prominent of all penguins.

The gentoo penguin reaches a height of 51 to 90 cm, making them the third largest penguin species, after two giant species: emperor and king penguins. Males have a maximum weight of about 8.5 kg, just before molting, and a minimum weight of about 4.9 kg, before mating. In females, the weight ranges from 4.5 to 8.2 kg. This species is the fastest underwater, reaching speeds of up to 36 km/h. They are perfectly adapted to very harsh climatic conditions.

Subantarctic penguins feed mainly on crustaceans, with fish making up only about 15% of the diet.

Other animals

Antarctic krill

Antarctic krill is a member of the euphausian order, common in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is a small crustacean that lives in large groups, sometimes reaching a density of 10,000-30,000 individuals per cubic meter. Krill feed on phytoplankton. It grows to a length of 6 cm, weighs up to 2 g, and can live for about six years. Krill is one of the key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and, in terms of biomass, is probably the most common animal species on the planet (about 500 million tons, which corresponds to 300-400 trillion individuals).

Belgica antarctica

Belgica antarctica- Latin name the only flightless insect endemic to Antarctica. Its length is 2-6 mm.

This insect has a black color, thanks to which it is able to absorb heat for survival. It can also adapt to changes in salinity and pH, and survive without oxygen for 2-4 weeks. At temperatures below -15 ° C, Belgica antarctica dies.