Antarctic Animals

Antarctic Animals By Monica and Maddi

Monica Higa Madeline Scullino1

Antarctica is a remote continent and it is amazing that some can survive in the freezing temperature. Yet some animals and plants live in Antarctica like they have for a long time. These animals adapt to the cold and ice.

Monica Higa Madeline ScullinoAntarcticas Unique Wildlife 2

KrillKrill are small organisms that are a vital part of Antarcticas ecosystem. Antarctic krill are found in the southern ocean, they are invertebrates that live in huge groups called swarms.

Krill can grow to 6 cm, weigh 2g individually and can live up to six years. There are 10,000 to 30,000 krill in a swarm and the probably the most successful animal species altogether weighing 50,000,000 tons.

Krill feed on mainly on phytoplankton also feeding on copepods, amphipods and other zooplankton. Krill have adapted to their seasonal food in the freezing months of winter under the ice.

The appearance of krill is similar to a prawn.

Monica Higa Madeline Scullino3

Penguins

Penguins are birds that are adapted to swimming in freezing waters of the coast of Antarctica. There are 17 breeds of penguins in Antarctica but only 4 types of penguins that breed and live in Antarctica, the emperor, the king, the gentoo and the Adelie penguin.

Penguins eat a variety of fish, krill and squid. Parents go out to sea for months finding food, then they call there chicks and regurgitate the food into their mouths. Penguins are prey for many carnivorous Antarctic animals such as the leopard seal and killer whale.

Penguins have a layer of fat called blubber to survive the temperatures of Antarctica in the seasons and water. In the breeding season the mother goes out to sea searching for food while the father stays behind for months caring for the egg.

Penguins are the colour of black, with a white belly and face. The king and emperor penguin both have an orange/yellow spot on their necks. The chick of the species look different in appearance. Monica Higa Madeline Scullino4Seals are marine mammals, six species call Antarctica their home. The leopard, Weddell, Ross and crabeater seal all live on the continent of Antarctica while the southern fur seal and the southern elephant seal prefer to stay close to the northern islands.

There are two groups of seals, the true seals and the eared seals. The true seals have no exterior ears and their flippers face backwards, true seals are unable to support themselves in a vertical position while the eared seals are capable of. The eared seals have fins that may be rotated and small exterior ears.

Most seals live on a diet of fish, squid and fish, although leopard seals also feed on smaller seals, penguins and seabirds. Diving from 40 to 600 metres the catch their food, Antarctic seals have short teeth but the predatory seals have 2.5 centimetre canines.

Antarctic Seals have different appearances although they all have one thing in common, all seals have bodies designed to swim in the freezing waters of Antarctica. The leopard seal has a slick grey body with a reptile-like head, the crabeater seal have a silver grey or a brownish yellow coat with dark spots or markings, the Weddell seal with a similar appearance. A Ross seal has a wide head with a dark grey or chestnut brown fur, elephant seals have large brown bodies and the males have a nose that resembles that of an elephant and the Antarctic fur seal has a furry brown body. All seals have a layer of blubber to keep warm.

Seals Monica Higa Madeline Scullino5

Whales

To many people whale are considered to be the most intelligent and magnificent of all sea mammals. There are 8 species of whales living in the Antarctic Convergence, the humpback, sei, minke, southern right, fin, orca, sperm and the largest animal on earth the blue whale.

There are two groups of whales, toothed whales and baleen whales. Baleen whales have comb like teeth to filter fish and krill, they are larger then toothed whales and have 2 blowhole. The toothed whales have peg like teeth and a narrow jaw used to catch sea animals and swallow them whole. The orca and sperm whale are the only toothed whales in Antarctica .

Most whales in Antarctica eat krill. Krill is essential in a whale diet especially for baleen whales. Orcas have a variety of food including fish, seabirds(including penguins),octopus, sharks, sea turtles, seals and other smaller whales . Toothed whales use echolocation to find food in the dark water.

Whales have slick bodies for moving through the water. They are one in two species of sea mammals to live their entire life in the ocean. Whales have lungs and regularly come to breathe. They are warm blooded and move their tail up and down to glide through water.

In the 1900s, several species were nearly hunted to extinction but are slowly recovering. The waters are now protected by the International Whaling Commission but some countries still pose a threat to whaling.

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Fish and other Sea life Antarctica is surrounded in ocean but it seems that there are only 120 species of fish living within it. These include toothfish, ice fish and cod. The largest of all Antarctic fish weighs 25kg and are 1 and a half metres long. Antarctic fish have a special antifreeze in their bodies to stop it from freezing.

Antarctic fish live on a diet of plankton and other fish. They may also eat crabs and the few plants there is. Fish have many predators including seals, penguins and whales.

Antarctic fish come in a variety of colours such as grey , black, red and silver. Fish look like normal sea fish although some are shaped differently.

Monica Higa Madeline Scullino7

Seabirds There are 39 species of seabirds in Antarctica. These include albatrosses,petrels,gulls , skuas,furmars,terns, sheathbirds and cormorants. Millions of birds come to breed as the winter ends yet only 19 species come to Antarctica.

Seabirds eat fish and krill. They also eat squid and crustaceans. In the summer the birds have an unlimited supply so they go and feed. Seabirds catch their food by diving into schools of fish. Skuas attack penguin chicks and raid carcasses.

Seabird are graceful with large wings and different patterned bodies, these range from brown and white. They have short legs and tails. Most seabirds have thick curved beaks.

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Other Animals In 2007, on May 16 scientists working in Antarctica found 700 new species of sea creatures. 585 marine crustaceans were found during this expedition. Researchers on the German ship the Polarstern found strangely shaped starfish, carnivorous sponges and giant sea spiders. Most of the creatures found were very small. This shows how much we dont know about Antarctica and the amazing things that are there.Monica Higa Madeline Scullino

9Did you know?Whales can sing*, they are highly vocal animals Male elephant seals weigh 4 tonnes when they are adultBlue whales are the largest animals in the world Sperm whales can dive a mile into the ocean causing them to have a record of the deepest diving mammal Albatrosses have a wingspan of 4 metresIn folklore albatross carry the soul of a sailor. Skuas bathe in freshwater poolsPenguins lay one egg a year and then the next year males may find a new mate.Adelie penguins can dive up to 500 feet to catch preyLeopard seals have an excellent sense of smell and sight in the waterElephant seals can stay under water for 2 hours Fur seals are the only eared seals in AntarcticaOrca populations are the largest in Antarctica Sperm whales have ivory teeth

*click to hear whales singing

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Thank you for watching!By Monica and maddi! Monica Higa Madeline Scullino11