Antarctic Animals

Antarctica, the sub-Antarctic islands and the seas around Antarctica are home to many animals. Antarctic animals and wildlife have had to adapt to life in extremely cold conditions. Aquatic animals such as whales and seals have an insulating layer of fat to protect them from the cold and even many fish and insects have antifreeze-like chemicals in their blood to prevent them from freezing.

Wildlfe in Antarctica also includes 46 species of birds, including Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Petrels, Storm-Petrels, Diving petrels, Cormorants, Bitterns, Herons and Egrets, Ducks, Geese and Swans, Sheathbills, Skuas and Jaegers, Gulls, Terns; these too have waterproof feathers on top of downy insulating feathers. However, probably the best known species of Antarctic animals is the penguin. The penguins that live on the Antarctic Peninsula have an extremely short breeding season which means that between the time they come ashore, build a nest, lay an egg, hatch a chick and head back to sea for the winter is only about 4 months.  In contrast, the magnificent Emperor Penguin is the only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter; it treks 50–120 km (30–75 mls) over the ice to breeding colonies which may include thousands of individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to forage; parents subsequently take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony. The lifespan is typically 20 years in the wild, although some individuals may live to 50 years of age.

The freezing waters off Antarctica are the summer home for many whale species. While there, the whales feed on the rich supply of krill (small prawn-like animals). Some animals found in Antarctica, such as whales, migrate during the coldest months from June until August when the temperature falls and ice starts to cover the sea. At this time they begin their migration to warmer waters to breed and calve. 

 
Another prominent member of the Antarctic wildlife community is the seal. Species common to Antarctica are the Fur, Ross, Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard. One of the most viewed of Antarctic animals is the fur seal and some visitors will be fortunate enough to see one of the one-in-a thousand blonde furred specimens. The largest of the Antarctica animals to be seen on the ice is the massive, lumbering Southern Elephant Seal, which transforms in the water into a sleek swimming machine competing with other Antarctic wildlife for the abundant supplies of krill.