Antarctica, especially the Antarctic peninsular is home to an abundance of wildlife. Much of it not found anywhere else on our planet. There is not a lot of diversity as found elsewhere on our planet but the wildlife often makes up for it with an abundance of numbers.
We used to think that Antarctica was protected from most of the environmental threats that we face everywhere else on our planet but now, like most Earth habitats, Antarctica and its wildlife is threatened by climate change, the introduction of exotic species and pollutants.
Still, we may overcome these problems, and while we work to combat them, at least Antarctica remains a wonderful place to visit. Where else can you see these animals in such a brisk (some might say cold 🙂 ) setting.
Strangely, there are very few animals that actually live on the Antarctic continent year round. Away from the coast, once you go inland and especially up on the Antarctic Plateau you won’t see any wildlife at all, except possibly the rare bird. So, the wildlife that does exist lives on the coast, lives either on the rocky outcrops, on the sea ice or in the ocean.
There are 46 species of birds in Antarctica of which the penguin counts for eight species. The penguins live in Antarctica and its sub-Antarctic islands and there are seven species of seal (pinnipeds). The waters surrounding Antarctica are home to 10 species of whale (cetaceans), some of which migrate. These animals are considered to be marine mammals because they spend much of their life in the ocean
The largest land animal is a very small insect, a midge, called Belgica antarctica and it is also the only true insect on the Antarctic mainland. There are a host of other animals and I will be adding them as time permits. Enjoy