Content
- Characteristics of Antarctica Animals
- Antarctic fauna
- 1. Emperor penguin
- 2. Krill
- 3. Sea leopard
- 4. Weddell seal
- 5. Crab seal
- 6. Ross seal
- 7. Antarctic petrel
- Other animals from Antarctica
- Antarctic animals in danger of extinction
Antarctica is the coldest and most inhospitable continent of planet Earth. There are no cities there, only scientific bases that report very valuable information for the whole world. The easternmost part of the continent, that is, the one that is close to Oceania, is the coldest area. Here, the earth reaches a height of over 3,400 meters, where, for example, the Russian scientific station Vostok Station. In this place, it was recorded in the winter (month of July) of 1893, temperatures below -90 ºC.
Contrary to what it may seem, there are relatively hot regions in Antarctica, as is the Antarctic peninsula which, in summer, has temperatures around 0 ºC, very hot temperatures for certain animals that at -15 ºC are already hot. In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will talk about animal life in Antarctica, this extremely cold region of the planet, and we will explain the characteristics of its fauna and share examples of animals from Antarctica.
Characteristics of Antarctica Animals
The adaptations of animals from Antarctica are mainly governed by two rules, the allen's rule, which postulates that endothermic animals (those that regulate their body temperature) that live in colder climates have smaller limbs, ears, muzzle or tail, thus minimizing heat loss, and rule ofBergmann, which establishes that with the same intention to regulate heat loss, animals that live in such cold areas have much larger bodies than species that live in temperate or tropical areas. For example, pole-dwelling penguins are larger than tropical penguins.
In order to survive in this type of climate, animals are adapted to accumulate large amounts of fat under the skin, preventing heat loss. The skin is very thick and, in animals that have fur, it is usually very dense, accumulating air inside to create an insulating layer. This is the case for some ungulates and bears, though there are no polar bears in Antarctica, nor mammals of these types. Seals also change.
During the coldest periods of winter, some animals migrate to other warmer areas, which is a priority strategy for birds.
Antarctic fauna
The animals that live in Antarctica are mostly aquatic, such as seals, penguins and other birds. We also found some marine vertebrates and cetaceans.
The examples that we will detail below, therefore, are excellent representatives of the Antarctic fauna and are as follows:
- Emperor penguin
- Krill
- sea leopard
- weddell seal
- crab seal
- ross seal
- Antarctic petrel
1. Emperor penguin
The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) lives across the north coast of the antarctic continent, distributing in a circumpolar manner. This species has been classified as Near Threatened as its population slowly declines due to climate change. This species is very hot when the temperature rises to -15 ºC.
Emperor penguins feed mainly on fish in the Antarctic ocean, but they can also feed on krill and cephalopods. have a annual breeding cycle. Colonies are formed between March and April. As a curious fact about these Antarctic animals, we can say that they lay their eggs between May and June, on ice, although the egg is placed on the feet of one of the parents to prevent them from freezing. At the end of the year, the puppies become independent.
2. Krill
Antarctic krill (Superb Euphausia) is the base of the food chain in this region of the planet. It is about a small crustacean malacostraceanthat lives forming swarms of more than 10 kilometers in length. Its distribution is circumpolar, although the largest populations are found in the South Atlantic, close to the Antarctic peninsula.
3. Sea leopard
The marine leopards (Hydrurga leptonyx), other of the Antarctic animals, are distributed over the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. Females are larger than males, reaching a weight of 500 kilograms, which is the main sexual dimorphism of the species. Puppies are normally born on ice between November and December and are weaned at just 4 weeks of age.
They are solitary animals, couples copulate in the water, but never see each other. are famous for being great penguin hunters, but they also feed on krill, other seals, fish, cephalopods, etc.
4. Weddell seal
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) have circumpolar distribution across the Antarctic Ocean. Sometimes solitary individuals are seen off the coast of South Africa, New Zealand or South Australia.
As in the previous case, female weddell seals are larger than males, although their weight fluctuates dramatically at brooding. They can create on seasonal ice or on land, allowing form colonies, returning each year to the same place to reproduce.
Seals that live in seasonal ice make holes with their own teeth to access water. This causes very fast tooth wear, shortening life expectancy.
5. Crab seal
The presence or absence of crab seals (Wolfdon carcinophaga) on the Antarctic continent depends on seasonal ice area fluctuations. When the ice sheets disappear, the number of crab seals increases. Some individuals travel to southern Africa, Australia or South America. enter the continent, coming to find a live specimen 113 kilometers from the coast and at an altitude of up to 920 meters.
When female crab seals give birth, they do so on an ice sheet, with mother and child being accompanied by the male, what watch the birth of the female. The couple and the puppy will remain together until a few weeks after the puppy is weaned.
6. Ross seal
Another of the animals of Antarctica, the ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) are circumpolarly distributed throughout the Antarctic continent. They usually aggregate in large groups over floating ice masses during the summer to breed.
These seals are the minor of the four species that we found in Antarctica, weighing only 216 kilograms. Individuals of this species pass several months in the open ocean, without approaching the mainland. They meet in January, at which time they change their coats. Puppies are born in November and weaned at one month of age. Genetic studies show that it is a speciesmonogamous.
7. Antarctic petrel
The Antarctic petrel (Antarctic thalassoica) is distributed along the entire coast of the continent, forming part of the Antarctic fauna, although prefer the nearby islands to make your nests. Snow-free rocky cliffs are abundant on these islands, where this bird makes its nests.
The main food of the petrel is krill, although they can also consume fish and cephalopods.
Other animals from Antarctica
All the Antarctic fauna is connected in one way or another to the ocean, there are no purely terrestrial species. Other aquatic animals from Antarctica:
- Gorgonians (Tauroprimnoa austasensis and Kuekenthali Digitogorgia)
- Antarctic silver fish (Pleuragramma antarctica)
- Antarctica Starry Skateboard (Amblyraja Georgian)
- thirty Antarctic réis (sterna vittata)
- Beechroot rolls (desolate pachyptila)
- Southern Whale or Antarctic Minke (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
- Southern Dormant Shark (Somniosus antarcticus)
- Silvery cliff, silver petrel or austral petrel (Fulmarus glacialoides)
- Antarctic mandrel (stercorarius antarcticus)
- Thorny Horse Fish (Zanchlorhynchus spinifer)
Antarctic animals in danger of extinction
According to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), there are several animals in danger of extinction in Antarctica. There are probably more, but not enough data to determine. There is a species in critical extinction hazard, a blue whale from antarctica (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia), the number of individuals has decreased by 97% from 1926 to the present. The population is believed to have declined steeply until 1970 as a result of whaling, but has increased slightly thereafter.
And 3 endangered species:
- soot albatross (Phoebetria Beetle). This species was in critical danger of extinction until 2012, due to fishing. It is now in danger because it is believed, according to sightings, that the population size is greater.
- Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi). The Northern Royal Albatross was in critical danger of extinction due to severe storms in the 1980s caused by climate change. There is currently not enough data, its population has stabilized and is now declining again.
- Gray Headed Albatross (talasarche chrysostoma). The rate of decline of this species was very fast during the last 3 generations (90 years). The main cause of the species' disappearance is longline fishing.
There are other animals in danger of extinction that, although they do not live in Antarctica, pass close to its coasts in their migratory movements, such as the atlantic petrel (uncertain pterodroma), O sclater penguin or erect crested penguin (ANDudiptes sclawill have), O yellow nose albatross (Thalassarche carteri) or the Antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis).
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