The harsh continent chose many species of mammals, birds and invertebrates as their place of residence. But, interestingly, not a single animal of Antarctica is completely land, and the fauna is represented by some species of ticks and insects. We set off for the white continent to find out who lives in Antarctica, and we will start with fossil animals whose remains were discovered on the continent.
1
Dinosaurs
The study of the land of Antarctica is complicated by the fact that 98% of the continent is covered with thick ice. But, despite this, in 1986, fragments of dinosaur bones were first discovered on the continent.
Laboratory studies have shown that all dinosaur remains found belong to several species. Thus, it was possible to establish precisely that one million years ago there were ankylosaurs, seven-meter cryolophosaurs, as well as representatives of the hadrosaur group.
2
Penguins
These marvelous flightless birds, the most famous and numerous among all the birds that inhabit Antarctica. In total, only three penguin species nest on the continent, while the rest live on nearby islands.
Emperor penguin
The largest penguin species known to science, for which it may have received such a magnificent name. Adult males grow to 1.3 m, but females are slightly smaller, and their growth usually does not exceed 1.2 m.
These penguins have learned to dive perfectly up to 500 m deep. When hunting for fish, they can reach speeds of up to 45 km / h, and the maximum diving depth is 530 m.
King penguin
A little smaller than his imperial brother, the King Penguin is brightly colored and grows to 1 m in length.
They nest mainly in large colonies on the rocks /, and today the world population is about 1 million pairs of this slightly awkward, but beautiful and graceful bird.
Adelie Penguin
Such a romantic name for the most common penguin species was given by the French explorer Jules Dumont-Durville, whose wife was called Adele.
From March to October, they roam in the ocean away from nesting sites, and nest on the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands. A very gullible bird, in many ways reminds a person.
3
Seals and marine life
Seals are yet another inhabitant of the white continent, who spend most of their lives in coastal ocean waters, and only occasionally go out on white Antarctic ice. But the coastal waters of Antarctica, despite the cold and ice, boasts a wide variety of inhabitants, among which there are rare species of mammals, fish and shellfish.
Weddell Seal
This species of seal is widespread along the coast, and it was named after the British navigator Sir James Weddell. Adults grow up to 3.5 m, while under water during the search for food they can be up to 60 minutes.
In the XIX-early XX centuries, people actively hunted for this species of seal, which is why the population has declined sharply. But now they are under guard, and hunting for them is prohibited.
Crabeater seal
The only representative of the genus of crabeater seals is considered the most numerous seal in the world, since the population, according to various estimates, reaches from 10 to 40 million.
Interestingly, at the beginning of the 20th century, the remains of these seals were discovered far from the coast at an altitude of 1,000 above sea level, due to which it was suggested that they die deep into the continent.
Sea leopard
This species of seals got its unusual name due to its spotted skin resembling leopard spots. It differs in aggressive behavior, which also makes it similar to a terrestrial namesake.
The streamlined body allows you to develop high speed, and in search of prey, the sea leopard can dive to a depth of 300 m. They mainly hunt seals, but some have adapted and specialize in hunting penguins.
Marble Notothenia
Due to the similarity of color with ordinary cod, this unique fish is also called the "Antarctic cod." Notothenia grows to 0.9 m in length and weighs up to 8 to 9 kg.
In summer, it keeps near the surface of the water, eating krill, but in winter it spends most of its time at depth. Deep-sea fish are difficult to catch, but culinary experts note the excellent taste of the fish, and most importantly - it contains many useful nutrients.
Antarctic Giant Squid
The deep-sea squid, the only representative of the genus Mesonychoteuthis, is also called the "Colossal Squid" because of its size.
There is very little information about the lifestyle and habits of this squid, since its capture is very rare. Adult males grow up to 9-10 m, and these cephalopods are luminous anchovies, some fish species. And during the ripening period, plankton is actively eaten.
Blue whale
The largest whale, reaching a length of 30 m, was first seen off the coast of Antarctica in 1925. At their core, they are cosmopolitan, and constantly migrate.
This graceful inhabitant of the deep sea loves solitude, and, perhaps, in search of food, swims far into the southern latitudes. Able to give sound signals through which it easily communicates with relatives.
Antarctic starfish
A beautiful starfish has 5 rays and can grow up to 10 cm in diameter. It was discovered at a depth of 900 m off the coast of Antarctica and off the islands of extreme southern latitudes.
By its type, it is a deep-sea predator, and eats everything that it finds on the seabed. Large colonies of arctic starfish attack sea urchins, shrimp, and other stars that live in the cold waters of Antarctica.
4
Invertebrates
In the photo: a multi-bristle worm, recently discovered for the first time off the coast of Antarctica.
Considering the inhabitants of Antarctica, it is impossible not to mention the unique invertebrates, the most ancient and numerous inhabitants of the amazing continent.
Antarctic Sponge
The six-pointed sponge from the Rossellida family is one of the oldest animals on our planet, because its age reaches about 10 thousand years. They grow up to 2 m in length, and the color can be either completely white or light yellow.
French researchers discovered them in Antarctica at the very beginning of the 20th century, and named them in honor of Louis Joubin, an employee of the Paris Zoological Museum.
Wingless mosquito
The scientific name for this Antarctic mosquito is Belgica antarctica, and it is the only insect that lives in Antarctica. They chose the Antarctic Peninsula as their place of residence, as this is where the milder climate is.
They feed on coastal algae, and most importantly they can tolerate strong winds and frosts, as well as dehydration, which is fatal to other living organisms.
5
Arthropods
The Antarctic desert has become a habitat for more than 130 arthropod species. Naturally, it is difficult to list them, but we note that there are 67 species of tick species on the white continent.
In the photo: Antarctic flea of the species Antarctic Flea
Fleas are also found, and the most common species is Glaciopsyllus antarcticus, reaching a size of 4 mm. We also note that this flea species is the southernmost holometabolic creature that lives on our planet earth.
6
White bears
Do not worry, this is not a mistake, we will only try to answer the question why polar bears do not live in Antarctica?
The main reason scientists call the lack of vast fields of floating ice, which are usually fed by polar bears. For the same reason, penguins would not have survived in the Arctic, for them there simply are no ecological niches for nesting and feeding.
So, if not google, there is always one answer - polar bears live in the Arctic, and are unlikely to cross the World Ocean, and populate Antarctica.
By the way, most-beauty.ru has an excellent article about the most beautiful bears in the world, where of course there are photos of these beautiful Arctic predators!
7
Person
After the discovery of the continent, its active research began, but this is an open territory, there is no permanent population on Antarctica. The population at research stations ranges from 1 to 4 thousand people.
About 150 Russian citizens live at seven Russian stations, so the Russians in Antarctica are quite numerous. But the first person born on the white continent was the Argentine Emilio Marcos Palma, who was born in 1978.
We have already reported on the sights of Antarctica, which can rightfully include scientific and meteorological stations. For statistics, there are 89 of them on the continent, of which 7 operating stations belong to Russia.
Naturally, for objective reasons, we can’t list all the species of animals that live on the southernmost continent, but tried to present the most interesting representatives of the fauna of the amazing and mysterious Antarctic.
Article author: Valery Skiba