Who lives in Antarctica from animals. Nature, plants and animals of Antarctica. There are no polar bears in Antarctica

Ecology

No place in the world compares to the vast white desert, where there are four main elements: snow, ice, water and rocks. The grandeur of its ice shelves and mountain ranges further emphasizes the splendor of nature.

Everyone who comes to the most isolated continent must make a difficult journey or a long flight. Of course, we are talking about Antarctica - a stunning place where all the extremes of our Earth seem to be concentrated. Here are 10 of the most amazing facts about this mysterious continent.

1. Not in Antarctica polar bears

Polar bears do not live in Antarctica at all, but in the Arctic. Penguins inhabit most of Antarctica, but it is unlikely that a penguin will meet a polar bear in natural conditions. Polar bears live in areas such as northern Canada, Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Norway. It's too cold in Antarctica because there are no polar bears. However, in Lately, scientists are beginning to think about how to populate polar bears in Antarctica, as the Arctic is gradually melting.

2. There are rivers in Antarctica

One of them is the Onyx River, which carries meltwater to the east. The Onyx River flows to Lake Vanda, located in Dry Valley Wright. Due to extreme climatic conditions it flows for only two months during the Antarctic summer. Its length is 40 km, and although there are no fish, microorganisms and algae live in this river.

One of the most interesting facts about Antarctica is the contrast between the dry climate and the amount of water (70 percent fresh water). This continent is the driest place on our planet. Even the hottest desert in the world receives more rain than the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. In fact, the entire South Pole receives about 10 cm of precipitation per year.

There are no permanent residents in Antarctica. The only people those who live there for a period of time are those who are part of the temporary scientific communities. In summer, the number of scientists and support staff is about 5,000, while in winter no more than 1,000 people remain to work here.

There is no government on Antarctica, and no country in the world owns this continent. Although many countries have attempted to claim ownership of these lands, an agreement has been reached that grants Antarctica the privilege of being the only region on Earth that is not ruled by any country.

6. Looking for meteorites

One of the interesting facts about this continent is the fact that Antarctica is the best place where you can find meteorites. Apparently, meteorites that hit the Antarctic ice sheet are better preserved than anywhere else on Earth. Fragments of meteorites from Mars are the most valuable and unexpected discoveries. Probably, the speed of release from this planet had to be about 18,000 km / h, in order for the meteorite to reach the Earth.

7. Lack of time zones

It is the only continent without time zones. Scientific communities in Antarctica tend to stick to the time that is associated with their native land, or check the time according to the supply line that supplies them with food and essentials. Here you can go through all 24 time zones in a few seconds.

8 Animals Of Antarctica

It's the only place on earth where you can find emperor penguins. These are the tallest and largest of all penguin species. Emperor penguins are also the only species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, while the penguin Adele compared to other species, it breeds in the southernmost part of the mainland. Of the 17 penguin species, 6 varieties are found in Antarctica.

Despite the fact that this continent is also hospitable for blue whales, killer whales and fur seals, Antarctica is not rich in land animals. One of the largest life forms here is an insect, a wingless midge. Belgica antarctica, about 1.3 cm long. There are no flying insects due to extreme windy conditions. However, black springtails can be found among the colonies of penguins, which jump like fleas. In addition, Antarctica is the only continent that does not have native ant species.

The largest land mass covered with ice is Antarctica, where 90 percent of the world's ice is concentrated. The average thickness of ice on Antarctica is about 2133 m. If all the ice on Antarctica melts, the world's sea level will rise by 61 m. But the average temperature on the continent is -37 degrees Celsius, so there is no danger of melting yet. In fact, most of the continent will never get above freezing.

10. The biggest iceberg

Iceberg B-15 is one of the largest icebergs on record. Its length is approximately 295 km, its width is about 37 km, and its surface area is 11,000 square meters. km, which is larger than the island of Jamaica. Its approximate mass was approximately 3 billion tons. And after nearly a decade, parts of that iceberg still haven't melted.

Animal world of Antarctica directly related to its climate. Therefore, all living organisms of this continent are located only in those places where plants are present.

According to information received from scientists, all animals of Antarctica, divided into water and land. At the same time, there are no completely land representatives of the fauna on this continent. List of animals of Antarctica(most popular) is shown below.

Mammals of Antarctica

Weddell seal

This species of fauna acquired its name thanks to the commander of an industrial expedition in one of the seas of Antarctica (also got its name in honor of this scientist) - James Weddell.

This type of animal lives in all coastal zones of Antarctica. According to estimates at the present time, their number is 800 thousand.

An adult of this species can reach a length of up to 350 centimeters. Their difference is that they can be under water for a whole hour. Their diet includes fish and cephalopods, which they catch without problems at depths of up to 800 meters.

IN autumn period years they gnaw holes in the ice that has just appeared so that it is possible to breathe. Such actions lead to the fact that in older representatives of the species, the teeth, as a rule, are broken.

Pictured is a Weddell seal

crabeater seals

The crabeater seal is noted as the only one of the True seal family. It is the most common species not only among those living in Antarctica, but also among those living in the vastness of the world. According to various estimates of scientists, their number varies from 7 to 40 million individuals.

The name of these animals is in no way connected with reality, since they are not included in their diet. These mammals feed mainly on Antarctic krill.

The size of crabeater seals that have reached middle age, can reach a length of 220–260 centimeters, while their weight varies from 200 to 300 kilograms.

There is an elongated and fairly slender physique. The muzzle is long and narrow. The real color of their fur is dark brown, but after fading it becomes creamy white.

Crab-eating seals have scalloped tuberculate lateral teeth. This shape means that they fit snugly against each other and create a kind of sieve that allows them to filter food.

A distinctive quality of this type of seal is that on the shore, they unite in large dense groups. Habitat - Marginal seas of Antarctica.

They arrange rookeries on the ice, on which they move quite quickly. The preferred hunting time is at night. Able to stay under water for 11 minutes.

During the feeding period, the male stays near the female all the time, getting food for her and driving away other males. Their life expectancy is about 20 years.

Pictured is a crabeater seal

Sea leopard

It is not only the largest, but also the heaviest of all penguin species that live on planet Earth. His height can reach 122 centimeters, and his weight ranges from 22 to 45 kilograms. Females of this species are smaller than males and their maximum height is 114 centimeters.

Among other types of penguins, they also stand out for their muscularity. On the back, these penguins have black feathers, on the chest are white - this is a kind of protection from enemies. Under the neck and on the cheeks a small amount of orange feathers.

About 300 thousand individuals of these penguins live in Antarctica, but they migrate to mate and lay eggs. These penguins feed on a variety of squid and krill.

They live and hunt mainly in groups. Small prey is eaten right on the spot, but larger prey is pulled ashore for butchering. The life span is about 25 years.

emperor penguin

snow petrel

The snow petrel is a bird that was first discovered in 1777 by Johann Reinhold Forster. The body length of this petrel species can reach up to 40 centimeters, wingspan up to 95 centimeters.

The color is white, only at the anterior upper edge of the eye there is a small dark spot. The beak is black. The paws of this species of bird have a bluish-gray color. They love low flights, right above the water surface.

They lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. The diet includes small crustaceans, Antarctic krill, squid. They can nest either in separate pairs or in groups. They prefer to nest on the rocky slopes of the mountains. During the period of feeding the chicks, the male provides food and protection.

snow petrel

Unfortunately, all presented photo of antarctica animals unable to fully describe their beauty, and it remains to be hoped that someday Antarctica will fully reveal its expanses to people.

Animals of Antarctica

Antarctica is not like other continents. It is covered with a layer of ice 2000-2500 m thick. Guillemots nesting here lay their eggs on a downy litter and do not leave them for a second, warming them with their warmth. But the cold is far from the only inconvenience that the few local inhabitants have to put up with. In Antarctica, the air is very dry, there is little precipitation, but pitch darkness reigns for many months. Terrestrial inhabitants, except for penguins, are not here at all. The life of almost all species of animals and birds of Antarctica is connected with the ocean - with the Antarctic water basins and partly with the marginal strip of the mainland.

Antarctica is poor in land animals, there are no mammals on the mainland at all. There are some worms, lower crustaceans and wingless insects. The absence of wings is due to constantly blowing strong winds: insects cannot rise into the air. On the islands of Antarctica there are several species of beetles, spiders, freshwater mollusks, one species of flightless butterfly. freshwater fish No. Of the birds, the white plover, the pipit, one species of duck nesting on the island of South Georgia are known.

But the waters of Antarctica are rich in marine and semi-land animal species. Of the invertebrates, crustaceans are especially numerous, serving as the main beggar for mammals, birds and fish. Of the mammals, pinnipeds and whales are numerous. Pinnipeds represented various types seals. The most common is the Weddell seal, reaching a length of 3 m. It lives in a strip of motionless ice. Other seal species are found on floating ice. The largest of the seals, the elephant seal, is now heavily exterminated. Almost all seals feed on crustaceans, mollusks and fish, and the sea leopard destroys a large number of penguins.

The largest of the mammals - cetaceans are represented by baleen and toothed whales. Among baleen whales, blue whales and humpback whales stand out. The largest whale is blue, or vomited, reaching a length of 33 m. It is heavily exterminated. It has been protected since 1967. A large whale gives up to 20 tons of pure fat and has a mass of up to 160 tons.

Toothed whales in Antarctica include sperm whales, bottlenose whales and killer whales. Killer whales are the most dangerous predators, equipped with a large sharp dorsal fin - a scythe.

The birds of Antarctica are exceptionally peculiar. All of them live near the water and feed on fish, as well as small marine animals. The most remarkable are penguins - birds with short wings, similar to flippers, which make it possible to swim perfectly. From a distance, penguins, with their upright posture, resemble humans. Adult penguins eat only in the water and generally feel much better there than on land.

Many species of penguins settle on the northern border of Antarctica, on the coasts of the subantarctic islands. These include Sclater's penguin, golden-crested penguin, little Adélie penguin.

In the summer, petrels, gulls, cormorants fly to Antarctica. The largest of them are albatrosses, their wingspan reaches 3.5 m.

Some petrels fly into the depths of the mainland farther than all birds and live in separate protruding areas that are not covered with ice and snow.

In summer, the coastal cliffs and islands are covered with nesting sites of numerous varieties of petrels - gray, white, as well as Cape pigeons, storm petrels, skuas.

Flying birds nest on the rocks, forming colonies similar to our bird colonies.

seals

SEALS (true seals, Phocidae family) are well adapted to life in cold seas: their entire body, including a short tail and flippers, is covered with thick coarse hair that protects against icy water, wind, snow and ice. Under the skin is a thick layer of fat.

The auricles of seals are completely absent. In their place, only a small hole is visible on each side of the head. But these animals are not deaf, and some of them even have good hearing, especially in water. The hind limbs are extended back, do not bend and do not tuck under the body, as in eared seals, so they are not used when moving on land. On the front flippers, which serve mainly as rudders in the water, five fingers connected by membranes are clearly visible.

The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is often found in sea shores temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. He never swims far from land and sometimes settles in fresh lakes and large rivers.

This is a relatively small animal. The body length of an adult seal is approximately 1.5 m, and its weight is 45 kg. The head is rounded, the eyes are large, the muzzle is as if chopped off, the body is stocky, with a short neck. The color varies from yellowish gray with dark brown spots to almost black with white spots.

The harbor seal does not form large colonies, spends more time on shore than other seals, and cannot sleep in the water. Families consisting of a male, several females and their cubs of different ages often use the same place for the night, which becomes their group territory. These are very friendly animals that are easy to tame.

Cubs (sometimes twins) are born in early spring. Newborns in the Far Eastern form are covered with fluffy white fur, which lasts for 3–4 weeks (the stage of white coat). In other forms, this fur sheds immediately, sometimes even before birth. The cry of the cub resembles the bleating of a lamb. The mother feeds him for about 5 weeks, after which he learns to forage himself. The common seal feeds on fish, as well as squid and octopuses.

Seals live along the coasts of the Atlantic from southern New Jersey and northern Mediterranean to the border polar ice, and along the Far East and American coasts of the Pacific Ocean - from Kamchatka in the north to Baja California in the south. Seals include fur seals, sea lions, seals, elephant seals and walruses. Seals are mammals, and they are an intermediate between such typical mammals as cows or dogs and marine mammals such as whales.

Indeed, seals are descended from land mammals that once had to adapt to life in the water. In the water, they did not have to live as long as the whales, as a result of which they did not adapt well to life in the water.

Seals cannot live underwater permanently. In addition, they give birth on land. In most cases, seals have to teach their pups to swim! Therefore, it is obvious that seals are at an intermediate stage between land and marine mammals.

As they adapted to life in the water, certain changes occurred to them. So, they developed webbed hind limbs and fins. They also acquired a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, which protected them from hypothermia. The ears decreased in size over time or disappeared altogether in order to reduce water resistance when moving. And they began to eat marine food - octopuses and fish.

Although nature has adapted seals to a large extent for existence in the water, they also have to spend a lot of time on land. They like to bask in the sun or sleep on the shore or on an ice floe. On the ground, they crawl or pull their bodies up with their fins.

In the United States, California sea lions are best known. They are mobile and smart. They can be easily taught to juggle a ball on the tip of their nose.

The habits of seals make them easy prey for humans. This is especially true for the season of feeding young animals, when it is very easy to get close to them along the shore or along an ice floe. For centuries, the Eskimos have used seals for food, clothing, oil for cooking, and lighting.

SOUTH ELEPHANT SEAL - one of the largest seals: 5.5 m in length and weighing 2.5 tons. It has more subcutaneous fat than meat. When he moves on land, his body shakes like jelly. On the top of the muzzle of the elephant seal is a leathery bag.

The leopard seal is found in the cold waters of Antarctica more often than other seals. He has a long, up to 3.5 m, body and a small head, similar to a snake. The fat layer of this animal is thinner than that of other seals from the same region.

UDELL SEAL - a large animal, up to 3 m in length. It is quite common off the coast of Antarctica. He has a short coarse coat without undercoat, and a layer of fat under the skin - up to 7 cm. Fat accounts for almost a third of the weight of the entire body! Weddell seals do not swim away from the coast of Antarctica even in winter.

ROSS SEAL - An inhabitant of the seas of Antarctica. It is found very rarely and in places where it is difficult for a person to reach. He stays alone on the ice. This is a very fat, clumsy beast. His neck is short and all in a fold - he can completely retract his head into it. Screams loud and melodic. He is not afraid of people and lets him close. Feeds on squids, octopuses, other cephalopods, crustaceans.

SEAL-CRABEATER typical of the Antarctic. It is up to 2 m long and adheres to floating ice floes almost all year round. Only in summer, when the ice melts, you can see crabeater rookeries on the shore. They are very dexterous and, escaping from killer whales, jump out of the water onto high ice floes. These seals feed on crustaceans. Their teeth form a kind of sieve that passes water and delays prey.

penguins

There are 17 species of these birds, and they all live in cold waters. southern hemisphere. Not only in Antarctica, but also not on the coast South America(Humboldt penguins, Magellanic penguin), Australia (small and white-winged) and even southern Africa (donkey, or spectacled penguin), where cold currents pass. Only the equator-dwelling Galapagos penguin entered the Northern Hemisphere, probably following the cold Peruvian Current.

Penguins spend three quarters of their lives in the water. They are excellent swimmers, their wings look like flippers, and their feathers look like long scales. In the snow, birds can lie on their belly and glide, pushing off with their wings and paws. Despite external clumsiness, they walk tens of kilometers, climb rocks and heaps of ice.

Indigenous inhabitant of Antarctica EMPEROR PENGUIN. This strange creature manages to feel comfortable on a winter polar night, during incessant snow storms and hurricane winds, at an air temperature of -60 C! The chicks hatch in July, in the midst of the Antarctic winter, in complete darkness. But only warm "summer! December sunshine, penguins leave the coast for the sea to stock up on fat for the next winter.

Penguins do not have very many enemies, but they are waiting for birds both on land and at sea. In the water, these are sharks, killer whales, seals - leopards - birds escape from them by jumping out on ice or stones in time. On the shore, skua gulls and petrels drag eggs and chicks. If you are very unlucky, then some stray dog or rat will kill the cub. On the continents, where there are predators, penguins make nests in shelters, and on the islands they settle openly. Adult penguins sometimes become victims of poachers, and although the bird knocks a person down with a blow of flippers, it cannot resist armed people.

GALAPAGOS PENGUIN lives north of the rest of the penguins, in the tropics. In the coldest time of the year, the penguin lays two eggs on the island, in a rock crevice.

GOLDEN HAIRED PENGUIN got its name from the bunch of golden-yellow feathers above the eyes. It is easy to recognize him by this crest. He is up to 76 cm tall. It is found in the southern part of the Indian and Atlantic oceans. It breeds on islands near Antarctica. Colonies number up to 60 thousand birds.

ADELI PENGUINS most numerous among relatives. They are 80 cm tall, extremely mobile, fussy and curious. They nest on the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands, in places where storm winds blow snow and expose the soil. In colonies up to half a million birds.

ROYAL PENGUIN lives north of Antarctica, in warmer waters. It is similar to the largest among the penguins - the emperor, but is brighter colored and smaller: about 90 cm tall. It nests on islands among the rocks. It breeds in summer. The egg is held on its paws, covered with an abdominal fold. It is incubated by both parents alternately.

Whales and sperm whales

BLUE WHALE refers to baleen whales. This is the largest animal on Earth. The length of his body is up to 33 m! Weight - 150 tons: heavier than 50 African elephants. Heart of a large blue whale weighs over half a ton. However, this giant, like all baleen whales, feeds on plankton - small crustaceans and other tiny marine life. Baleen whales have a giant sieve instead of teeth in their mouths - a whalebone. It consists of 140 pairs of horny triangular plates. The base of the plate is fixed in the whale's gum so that one of its sides is turned outward, and the other - inside the oral cavity. This second side is fringed. The whale, having captured the water in its mouth, with the help of a huge 3-ton tongue, squeezes it out through the whalebone, like through a sieve. Plankton crustaceans get stuck in the fringes and the whale swallows them. The stomach of a blue whale can hold up to 2 tons of crustaceans! When a whale emerges from the water to exhale and inhale, it releases a fountain up to 12 m high. On the surface of the water, the blue whale is calm and slow, but under water it can reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. Blue whales swim alone or in pairs.

SPERM WHALE swims in all oceans except the Arctic. This is a large toothed whale, up to 20 m long. Its head is huge: a third of its entire body. On the lower jaw up to 60 teeth. The sperm whale feeds on fish, squid, octopuses: it grabs them with its teeth and pushes it into the throat with a colossal tongue. In pursuit of prey dives to a depth of 2 km! A sperm whale can stay under water without air for an hour and a half: it has enough stock, which it captures from the surface before diving. If the sperm whale is agitated, it jumps out of the water all over, falls back with a deafening splash and strongly beats the water with its tail. Under water, sperm whales are well oriented. They have excellent hearing, and the sounds they emit return to them like an echo from an obstacle. The mother gives birth to one sperm whale every three years, in warm waters. From the first day, a baby weighing about a ton swims next to her. It grows slowly, and the mother seems to be towing it for a long time - while the cub spends less energy on overcoming the aquatic environment.

ALBATROSS Feels equally good on the water and in the air. It can take off only from the crest of a wave or from a coastal slope. Walks poorly on the ground. Easily and for a long time planning over the ocean, albatrosses look out for prey: fish, squid, octopuses. Often they accompany ships and feed on garbage near them. These birds are constantly on the move. The largest of their family is called wandering. They have a wingspan of more than 4 m, and they themselves are the size of a swan. Albatrosses nest in flocks on small uninhabited islands in the Southern Hemisphere. To attract a girlfriend, they arrange dances: they take bizarre poses, shout loudly, rub their beaks. All albatrosses have one egg in their clutch. Both parents incubate him in turn, for a very long time. Wandering albatross chicks, having hatched, do not leave the nest for another 8-9 months. And in dark-backed albatrosses, they are covered with down for up to four months, although they are already growing from their parents. Only two months later, when the chicks fledge, the whole family flies away from the island.

WILSON'S NORTHERN STRUT - a relative of petrels, She is the size of a swallow, weighs 40 g. She has membranes on her paws: the bird swims well. It feeds on various marine crustaceans and mollusks. Then she flies low above the water, fluttering her wings: she lifts them a little up - and grabs prey from the surface! And then looking for food afloat, lowering his head into the water. The storm-petrel walks clumsily on the ground. Another thing in flight: here it is light and swift. The storm-petrels nest in colonies, in the rocks. There is one egg in the clutch. Both parents incubate it, replacing each other every four days.

Great Skua a relative of the seagull. It flies well, speeding up and slowing down easily. It can stop in place, fluttering its wings, quickly turn around and fall like a stone on prey. The length of the wing of the great skua is about 40 cm. He spends his life wandering in the ocean. Robbery - takes prey (mainly fish) from other birds. It catches both small birds and small animals. Doesn't skimp on waste. When it's time to have chicks, large colonies of skuas gather on islands and sea coasts. The nest of a pair of birds is a small hole in the soil. There are two eggs in the clutch. They are incubated by both parents. Hatched chicks leave the nest in a week. Like adult skuas, they walk well on the ground.

GIANT STEEL nests on islands near Antarctica. It feeds on marine animals. Sometimes he robs: he kills penguins and storm-petrels. Its wings are up to 50 cm long. During wanderings, it reaches the Southern Tropic. Sometimes, using wind energy, it flies around the globe.

Antarctica is not like other continents. This is one of the coldest parts of the world where the temperature is extremely low. Is the air here very dry, cold? and, except for penguins and seals, other land animals in this area are almost impossible to see. On the islands you can find several varieties of worms, butterflies without wings (flightless) and crayfish. Of the birds, the plover and the plover are considered the most famous.

In summer, the following birds fly here:

albatrosses;
seagulls;
petrels and others.

All other inhabitants of Antarctica live in the ocean. This area is distinguished by a huge number of predators, which, despite the snow cover, survive perfectly, hunt and get their own food. Various mammals live here, there are practically no poachers on the territory, and those who live here are old, not new residents. Seals are predatory animals from the pinniped family. A thick layer of fat helps them withstand the severe frosts of this region. Many species of seals live in the waters of Antarctica:

wedella;
rossa;
crabeater;
southern elephant seal.

Weddell seal

One of the residents of this glacial continent is the Weddell seal. James Wedella is the commander of an industrial expedition, as well as a resident of this continent, after whom this animal was named. This beast has a very pleasant smiling face, but it is not so attractive with its slanting cat eyes and smile, but with the strong cries that it emits from the bottom of the sea during the mating season.

Females and males are the same size and, of course, they are the kind of seals that can give birth to two at once. Their embryos are born in three weeks and after a month and a half they weigh one hundred kilograms. Puppies are born on the coast, the mother comes ashore shortly before giving birth and after birth until the end of the lactation period remains with the newly appeared puppy on the coast, but after the completion of feeding with milk, the female releases her embryo for an independent life.

This type of mammal due to lack of air, it gnaws through glaciers, their teeth lose their sharpness and break. Thus, animals lose the ability to eat normally and have a life expectancy of no more than twenty years. The sea becomes their most secure place of permanent residence, seals expose only their nostrils from the water. I would like to note that, despite this fact, Wedell seals do not like land, their enemies are sea leopards, which catch them and kill them at the very bottom.

It seems that seals on the shore see much worse than under water, are very friendly with the people they meet, as well as with the animals living with them in the neighborhood. People are noticed in the case of very close communication, lie down on the ground and greet people, as if saying "salute". In winter, they do not come to the surface of the ice, which is associated with severe frosts that prevail in this area. Seals talk to each other, grunting and yelping.

Ross seal

Ross is from the family of mammals and is one of the true seals. It is named after the American explorer Ross. In size, it is from the family of the smallest Antarctic seals. Their body length reaches two meters in size. These animals have a large amount of fat and hide their heads in this thick layer of fat in order to be able to protect themselves from severe frosts. The seals are very good divers and swim at high speeds and hunt for small fish. This type of seal lives, like the previous one, for about twenty years.

They do not live in groups, but, on the contrary, prefer to live alone. He is fat and barrel-shaped, and lives in places that are inaccessible to humans. This predator sings melodicly. His language is incomprehensible to many, but well known to his kindred. Likes to eat octopuses and other mammals.

crabeater seal

crabeater - one of the most common types in the world and belongs to the family of true seals. They are slender, their muzzles are slightly elongated and thin. They are brown in color, but after molting they become creamy white. Crab-eaters are four times the weight of all other seals. Although the name contains the word crab, they do not use them at all in their food, these animals of Antarctica tend to eat fish.

Their cubs are born in autumn and by the end of feeding with milk, their weight reaches up to 110 kilograms. While feeding the puppy, the male sits on the surface of the ice and does not allow him to approach the female until the end of feeding. They are fed for two or three weeks, in weight they add four kilos a day. Seals jump from ice floes very dexterously and dive well into the water. Scientists suggest that this dexterity is due to the fact that crabeaters protect themselves from predators attacking them. Carry their children for about nine months.

They die and live on the bottom of the ocean, like previous predators, for about twenty years.

Sea Elephant

There are two types of elephant seals: northern and southern. The northern one differs from the southern one in a narrower and southern trunk. Because of a large number hunters at one time, the northern type almost disappeared from the face of the earth. The ban on fishing in this area helped restore the number of these elephants. The southern variety was also heavily hunted: they were mercilessly killed. But now they are protected.

Sea elephants, due to the presence of a process similar to the trunk of an elephant, which begins to grow in them by the age of eight, got their name. Their body is thick, the head is small compared to the body, they have flippers instead of limbs. They live on land, but because of the obesity of their body, it is very difficult to move around and prefer to sleep more. They sleep very soundly and during sleep they emit strong snores. They sleep under the sun and do not like to be awakened. In the event of an attempt to wake them from sleep, they can kick hard or hit with a stone.

This kind of predator It spends most of its life in the water and only comes to land to mate. At this time, they gather in groups, and the rest of the time they prefer to live alone. Elephant seals, due to the gravity of their weight for food, can dive to a depth of 1400 meters and remain under water for a long time. They eat fish, they have nuts in the stomach for digestion. They have thick skin and short hair. Females and males of this species differ greatly in size and are the largest among pinnipeds and among seals. This type of animal gives birth to one cub.

Describing some facts from the life of pinnipeds, we can draw the following conclusions: despite tangible differences in size, everyone lives by the same rules for life. They are all stacked the same, with the exception of the elephant seal, whose head is smaller than the body.

Pinnipeds spend some of their time on land, but they are essentially marine because they feed in the water. This is where elephants find food:

shellfish;
crustaceans.

All elephant seals are more adapted to life in water than on land, they are excellent swimmers, as a rule, they swim with their front limbs. The most terrestrial among all is the crabeater seal, which goes out onto the ice floe and loves to sit on it. He moves so deftly on the ice that not everyone could catch him. This species feels confident on land, because killer whales often come here.

Animals of this series have poor eyesight because they spend most of their lives at sea, they have a good sense of smell due to vibrissae, which all pinnipeds possess.

penguins

Penguins are a breed of bird living in Antarctica. These are the most common and popular of all flying people living in Antarctica. Penguins, like other terrestrial ones that live on glaciers, get their food in the water, dive perfectly to the very depths and eat small fish and krill.

Consider and compare emperor penguins and adele.

Adélie is a variety that has both the back and the head and neck in black. They breed on land and spend the rest of their time in the water. The males prepare the mating grounds, after which the females incubate their eggs. During the incubation period of the female do not eat and lose half the weight.

The largest in size are the imperial ones. This type of penguin is very clumsy in movement and maintains balance with the help of their flippers - wings. Their paws help them move on land.

But in the water they are excellent divers and find their food very cleverly. On land, you can meet them on a walk alone, but most often in pairs. When you see them on the shore, you can compare them to people walking and discussing very important questions. Summer is spent at sea, and in winter acquire offspring.

When choosing a pair, emperor penguins are monogamous and among a large number of females, males come up with cries and choose a mate for themselves, but after choosing they never change them. The eggs are first incubated by the males, and then by the females. Imperial females, like Adele, do not eat themselves during feeding and also lose a lot of weight.

From the vast majority of birds they are distinguished by the fact that when walking they keep their posture very even and seem important and well-dressed people. They walk slowly, clumsily and, surprisingly, fly very smoothly over water.

Penguins belong to the group of those animals whose lives are constantly threatened due to the abundance of enemies. They are primarily people who often destroy them, and some predators like petrels. Embryos often die due to insufficient food.

Penguins are intelligent animals with short legs, very long necks, and feathers with scales. They have a large beak and a rather small head.

Penguins are at the stage of extinction, their population has declined sharply due to the melting of the ice, because their habitats are being destroyed, and food resources are becoming less and less.

Antarctica is the land of eternal cold, frost, strong wind, ice and snow. And the creatures living on its territory are very unusual due to the harsh climatic conditions.

People do not live permanently in Antarctica; by status, it does not belong to any state. Scientists from all over the world come here for research, and only in this case the silence of the mainland is broken. It is the coldest corner of the world and the continent of the Earth, the lowest temperature is recorded on it.

This part of the world is a place of survival. The animals of Antarctica are very strong and formidable, but despite this, living here means fighting and surviving. The predators who live here fight fierce battles with their enemies, but in their places of residence they are friendly and very caring. This area serves as a habitat for many animals. It is magnificent and beautiful, despite all the difficulties of living conditions.

Julia Agapova
Abstract of the lesson on familiarization with the outside world "Animals of the Arctic and Antarctica"

GCD for familiarization with the environment in the preparatory group.

caregiver (Agapova Yu. Yu.) MBDOU No. 379

Program tasks:

To consolidate the knowledge of children about the various climatic zones of the globe and their features;

Fix ideas about the world animals and plants.

Promote interest in knowledge of the surrounding world;

To support the desire to study nature, to provide all possible assistance in the protection of its resources.

The teacher reads a poem (shows the globe to the children):

Do you know that somewhere

All year round - winter and summer -

The ocean is sheltered from the light

A thick white layer of ice?

There is a terrible cold

Steamboats don't go there.

Only big icebreakers

Get there.

Guys, to depict the vast territory of our Earth, scientists made a map of the globe (shows a map).

And in order to imagine not only the surface of the Earth, but also its shape, a model of the Earth was created - a globe, on which the dimensions are reduced by tens of millions of times.

Our planet is a huge - huge ball. So big that it takes many, many days, even months, to get around it. around.

Let's take a look at the model of our planet together. What is the name of the reduced copy? (Globe)

Guys, look carefully at the globe, what colors it is painted in. (children's answers)

Notice the white color. It's not just like that. So marked on the globe(and on the map) two opposite polar regions of the Earth - the northernmost and southernmost - Arctic and Antarctica.

What means white? White is the color of snow, ice, cold. Antarctica and the Arctic the coldest places on earth. There are never warm days and rains. Only frosts are cracking, it is snowing, and blizzards are sweeping.

Arctic washes the Arctic Ocean, and almost all of it is bound by thick, hard ice. Here in the Far North, Arctic the ice never melts. Because the sun does not rise high during the short polar summer, its cool rays are reflected from the ice and snow. Such a sun cannot melt the ice. In winter it is dark here all day and night. Polar night.

Summer and winter Arctic white with snow and ice.

You will not find a colder place in the whole world. The icy wind brings more and more mountains of snow. Under their own weight, snowdrifts are compacted and turn into ice. And so from century to century.

Very cold in Arctic, but despite the huge ice floes and permafrost, there are such inhabitants that are not found anywhere else. ( polar bear, seal, walrus, reindeer, arctic fox, arctic tern, sea narwhal)

Narwhal. The length of this animal is 4.5 meters for an adult animal, and 1.5 meters for a cub. Weight reaches up to 1.5 tons, of which more than half of the weight is fat.

Narwhals have a horn 2-3 meters long, otherwise this horn is called a tusk. The tusk is used by the narwhal to determine the temperature of the water. Narwhals feed on squid, octopus, and fish. Narwhals are listed in the Red Book.

Polar bears are the largest animals on earth, they are good swimmers, they can spend hours in ice water, they have membranes between their fingers, there are 5 on each paw long claws to avoid slipping on the ice. The bear has warm thick fur, knows how to build a lair of snow, white fur makes it invisible in the snow, eats fish, seals)

The walrus lives in the seas of the Arctic Ocean. Its body length reaches 4-5 meters. It weighs a ton and can even reach two tons, a walrus can have up to 300 kg of fat. skin animal fat, strong. The mustache is thick, hard, and there are two fangs on the muzzle. With the help of these fangs, the walrus defends itself from enemies, attacks even a polar bear, and also plows the bottom, pulling out shells, octopuses, squids, that is, small animals that live in sea water.

IN Arctic There is a very beautiful bird - Tern.

Terns have a slender body, long pointed wings and short legs. Terns feed on fish. IN Arctic Terns live only in summer, when Winter is coming to the Arctic, Terns fly south.

Guys, what do you think helps? animals do not freeze in the Arctic? (they eat fish, have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, know how to swim well, dive well.

Guys, in Arctic grow dwarf shrubs, cereals, herbs. IN There are no trees in the Arctic.

Russia is the first country to use polar stations.

Guys, what do you think, what can you get into Arctic(On the icebreaker.)

You are right guys, only on an icebreaker you can get into Arctic and why do you think? (children's answers)

And now I suggest you go to the South Pole in Antarctica.

Guys, now I want to see how well you remember animals who live in Arctic. (Stand, on the stand is a map of the earth with two poles, figures animals to attach.)

Physical education minute

If we turn the globe over, we will see another white area. Only here is not the ocean, but the land, chained in ice "shell"- huge continent Antarctica.

Guys, Antarctica washed by Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Temperature in winter from -60* to -70*, and in summer from -30* to -40*, On the coast Antarctica temperature in winter is from 8 to 35 °C, and in summer 0-5 °C.

IN Antarctica has plants are mosses and lichens.

IN Antarctica meet amazing animals(king penguin, elephant seal, seal, leopard seal, blue whale, albatross bird)

Seals have smooth skin and are good swimmers. Seals hunt underwater, feed on fish, shrimp, squid

Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly, but they swim very well. Penguins walk awkwardly waddling from side to side or jumping. Penguins eat fish.

The blue whale is the largest animal, up to 33 meters long. The blue whale has an elongated, slender body. The skin of the blue whale is quite smooth and even. Huge heart animal weighs 800 kg. Whales feed on plankton. Whales release a fountain, the length of the fountain reaches a height of up to 10m.

Albatross The largest sea bird in Russia, the wingspan exceeds 2 meters. the birds are white, on the head and neck there is a yellow coating, the top of the wings and the tail along the edges are black-brown. The beak and legs are light. Albatrosses feed on fish and shellfish.

Have you heard of icebergs? Icebergs are huge mountains of ice that have broken away from ice shores and carried them out to sea. The shapes of icebergs are the most amazing and bizarre: either it is a giant snow-white swan or a hilly island with wide valleys, or an island with high mountains, gorges, waterfalls and steep slopes. There are icebergs that look like a ship with wind-blown sails, a pyramid, a beautiful castle with turrets.

In sunny weather, icebergs are very beautiful. They appear to be multi-colored.

How did these ice masses appear?

Sometimes along the coast Antarctica Huge heavy blocks of ice break off from the glacier and set off on a journey across the ocean. Most of the iceberg is also hidden under water. They swim in the sea for 6-12 years, gradually melt and break into smaller pieces.

Are icebergs dangerous?

For whom?

Icebergs pose a great danger to ships. So, in 1912, colliding with an iceberg, the passenger ship Titanic sank. You must have heard of him? Many people died. Since then, the International Ice Patrol has monitored the movement of icebergs and warned ships of danger.

What happens to these pieces of ice? Swim or drown (children's answers.)-

Today you learned a lot of new and interesting things. What do you especially remember and like (children's answers)

(For fixing the material)

Guys, let's remember you:

What are the islands of the Arctic Ocean called? (Arctic)

What is the name of the land in the far south globe? (Antarctica)

What bird can't fly? (Penguin)

What does a polar bear eat? (Fish, walruses, seals)

Why don't walruses freeze in cold water (Because the walrus has a lot of fat)

Well done guys: Guys, I really liked how you listened carefully today, memorized, answered questions. On this our class is over, thank you for your attention.

(If there is time, you can invite the children to watch an interesting cartoon from Aunt Owl about Arctic and Antarctic.)