Antarctic Animals '
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0 0 LL Antarctic animals ‘ I The weather conditions in the Antarctic are very inhospitable, as it is the coldest place on Earth! For this reason, very few terrestrial (land) animals are able to survive in the Antarctic. However, many marine (sea) animals and bird species thrive here. Terrestrial animals Wingless midges Believe it or not, the only terrestrial animals that live in the Antarctic are invertebrates (animals without backbones). The largest is the wingless midge, which can grow to a maximum of 13 mm in length. Most of the other invertebrate animals that live here are so small that they can only be seen under a microscope! Marine animals Emperor penguins A huge variety of marine animals can be found in the Antarctic. Several different species of whale including humpback, blue and sperm whales all live here, along with orca (killer whales). Various species of seal also live here including Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals. The penguin is a marine bird that is completely unique to the Southern Hemisphere. Many species of penguin have adapted to survive in the Antarctic. Adelie, emperor, chinstrap and gentoo penguins all breed here. Birds Some birds, such as snow petrels, are able to withstand the Antarctic weather throughout the year. Snow petrels breed in the Antarctic and have been seen as far south as the South Pole. Other birds, such as the Arctic skuas and Arctic tern, migrate to the Antarctic from the Arctic. They do this to avoid the Arctic winter and in effect have two summers—one in the Arctic and one in the Antarctic. Snow petrel 4 Did you know? Penguins can live in the sea for several months at a time. Their bodies and wings have adapted to make them excellent divers and swimmers. I• Copyright © 2015 Cornerstones Education Limited I COfles: _________ Antarctic weather Many people know that the Antarctic is the coldest place on Earth. But it may come as a surprise that it is also the windiest, and that the world’s largest desert can be found here! Both the weather and climate are incredibly harsh, but just how cold is the Antarctic and why is it classed as a desert? c) 4 Temperatures and precipitation Antarctica is actually a continent, larger in size than d!!• : the whole of Europe. The weather can vary significantly across different areas. The table below shows the , average daily temperature and monthly precipitation for the Vostok Station, based in the Antarctic. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average temperature (°C) 32 1 44 3 57 9 64 7 65 6 65 2 66 9 67 6 66 57 1 43 3 32 1 Average precipItation (mm) 0 1 0 0 7 0 5 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 The lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is -89.2°C but temperatures are often warmer near the coast. It sometimes rains in these warmer areas but most precipitation in the Antarctic falls as snow. The continent is the driest on Earth and South is classed as a desert because there is so little precipitation here. Pole Vosto k Can plants survive the weather conditions? Station Very few plant species can survive the inhospitable conditions of the Antarctic. Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic peariwort are the only two species of flowering plants that are hardy enough to withstand the brutal climate. Mosses have also adapted to survive here. Did you know? Millions of years ago, the climate in the Antarctic was a lot warmer than it is today. In fact, conifer trees once grew there. - Copyright 2015 Cornerstones Education Limited a a a the i I o,(’ a a 0 a LL. a a Antarctic people a a a F a a a No human has ever lived in the Antarctic permanently. In fact, it wasn’t until the late a a a a a 1700s that humans began to discover this hostile and mysterious region. Despite S a a a a a having no permanent residents, the Antarctic has fascinated humans since it was a a a S a first discovered and continues to intrigue people today. a a a a Discovery and exploration of the Antarctic a a a A British explorer, Captain James Cook, was one of the first a a explorers to visit the Antarctic region. In 1772, his voyage took him * a to the Antarctic Circle but he and his crew were forced to turn back a a because of the severe weather. Later, in 1819, the British explorer, a a Wiliam discovered some Antarctic islands. Explorers a Smith, a a continued to visit the area and a race to reach the South Pole (the a a most southerly point on Earth) followed in 1911. The race was won a a by a Norwegian explorer called Roald Amundsen. a a 1 “I a VIIti t1r II a ‘ Iii•\ a Today’s population ‘‘ !7 1,, ,, a : : Today, approximately 4,000 scientists and researchers reside in the Antarctic over the course : of a year. They analyse and monitor the unique conditions here. There are over sixty research bases for the scientists to stay in, with most staying during the summer months (November to April). Scientists can ‘live’ here for a couple of months or up to a couple of years. The Antarctic has also become a popular tourist destination, but tourism is very carefully managed in this area to help protect the local environment and wildlife. * a * a * a a a * * a a a a * a a a a Did you know? a a a Argentina sent a pregnant a a woman to the Antarctic in * a a 1978. She gave birth to a a a baby boy, who became the a a first ever person to be born a a on the continentj * a a e a a a a a a • Copyright © 2015 Cornerstones Education Limited a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a as _ ,Eth Arctic animals The Arctic is home to an amazing variety of animals. Terrestrial (land) animals, marine (sea) animals and birds have all adapted to live in this harsh environment and survive the extreme weather conditions. Terrestrial animals Polar bear Many terrestrial mammals, including polar bears, Arctic wolves, Arctic foxes and Arctic hares, are unique to the Arctic region and can only be found in S the Northern Hemisphere. During the coldest winter months, they migrate to the lands that surround the Arctic. 1!. Marine animals A diverse range of marine mammals also live in, or migrate to, the Arctic. These include orca (killer whales), beluga whales and blue whales. Walruses are exclusive to this region and so are some species of seal. Birds Up to 200 different species of bird are able to survive in the Arctic. Many birds, such as the Arctic tern, barnacle goose and Bewick’s swan live in the Arctic during the warmer summer months. However, a few species of bird - including the snowy owl - have adapted to live in the Arctic all year round. Snowy owl V Did you know? Arctic foxes and Arctic hares both have white coats in winter and brown or grey coats in summer. This helps An Arctic ‘V to camouflage them against their surroundings, depending on the summer season. Copyright © 2015 Cornerstones Education Limited trt Arctic weather The Arctic is one of the coldest places on Earth. It is also one of the driest, with very little precipitation over the course of a year. In fact, the world’s second largest desert is in the Arctic! It’s easy to imagine that the land is permanently covered in snow and ice. However, the landscape changes in the summer months, when some of the snow and ice melts. Temperature and precipitation The Arctic is made up of both land and sea, so the weather in different areas can vary significantly. The table below shows the average daily temperature and monthly precipitation for the Arctic Village, Alaska. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average temperature (°C) -30.7 -27.9 -18.9 -10 3.5 12.5 14.3 9.5 0.2 -11.7 -23.6 -24.7 Average precipitation (mm) 11.2 6.6 10.4 5.8 15.5 35.8 42.7 36.1 35.1 15.2 11,4 10.2 Temperatures can actually reach as low as -68°C in some parts of the Arctic during the freezing winter months. Arctic Village However, temperatures have been known to reach up to 30°C in some parts of the Arctic during the summer months. Alaska Overall, the average temperatures are rising in the Arctic. Can plants survive the weather conditions? Over 1,700 species of plant (including Arctic cotton, purple saxifrage and Arctic poppies) have adapted to survive the freezing conditions of the Arctic. For the majority of the year, the Arctic’s permafrost (layer of frozen soil) remains frozen. However, during the slightly warmer summer months, the permafrost thaws allowing small, shallow-rooted plants Did you know? to grow. Trees struggle to survive in the Arctic because there is so little rainfall and the temperatures are so cold.