Hello and welcome back ! The world is filled with animals and wildlife, and just as we humans have evolved, so have animals. Today, I will share about Antarctica, the world's fifth largest continent, and the wildlife and animals that live there.


Antarctica is a beautiful place in itself, it's the coldest and driest continent in the world, animals that have adapted to life in the cold. Even humans cannot survive in the cold weather without layers of clothing and sweaters. There are 235 animal species in Antarctica with all animals having thick fur which keep them safe from the cold weather. Penguins, seals, albatrosses, krill, whales, and other sea birds have been spotted there. Despite the fact that there are fewer animals than in a typical wildlife forest, there are 18 species of penguins living there, with 12 million of them. Seals are divided into six species, with a total population of 5 million. Antarctica has between 125 million and 6 billion tons of Krill! Antarctica also has six different whale species. 


     



Now, let’s know more about The animals, how they survive.

 

Penguins: They are the national symbol of Antarctica. The emperor penguin is the largest species, measuring 130cm and weighing 23 kg on average. They live in colonies along Antarctica's coast, which also serves as a food source for them. The penguins feed on fish, krill, and squid. This study was discovered from a satellite image of a penguin's poop!

 

                           


Krill: Krill is not only eaten by penguins, it is also consumed by the majority of other species in Antarctica; if these become extinct, there is a good chance that the creatures of Antarctica will become extinct as well. They get energy from sunlight and are mostly 2 – 3 inches long.

                            

Orca/ Killer whales: We find the Orca in the top of the food chain in Antarctica, they are the biggest carnivores on earth they are literally 10m long and can be found in the southern ocean of Antarctica. They usually feed on the seals because of their rich fats which keep a whale safe from the freezing temperature of water. They also consume small fishes in water for their survival.

                             


Seals: There are many different seals in Antarctica, they have and thick fur coat and a blubber which make them adaptive to cold. The seals also eat squids, krill, and the leopard seals even eat penguins! The fur sea species is also known "sealions" because of them having ears and also it can walk on its flippers.

      

Albatross: It's one of the biggest seabirds in the world, the Wandering Albatross are found in the southern part of Antarctica. The length of the opened wings in alone 3-4 metres and the body is nearly 120cm. They feed on fish, squids and crustaceans. They also live 5-10 years in Antarctica and fly off back to their native island to breed.


As we have a brief knowledge on these animals lets now talk about the endangered species:

The iconic emperor penguin species is also on the verge of extinction, as are several albatross species. Whales are also on the verge of extinction. And this is all because of the pollution, climate change, overfishing. And mice, which can be found on every continent in the world , eat all the laid eggs of birds, causing the population to decline.


Finally, we have reached the end of the blogs and hope you have gained a brief understanding of the wildlife in Antarctica from the small but useful blog. Please share this blog with anyone who may be interested!


Thankyou,

Vaishnav.