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Animals Found In Antarctica 

are no land animals that actually live in Antarctica! However, the surrounding oceans abound in living creatures! Tnhabit the oceans surrounding Antarctica can be seen pulling themselves out of the water and onto the ice to res

g. Penguins (Emperors and Adelies) are the only birds that inhabit this frozen landscape. It's just too cold to supmany life forms! Below are pictures of and facts about Antarctica's animals.  

Weddell Seal - the southernmost pinniped in the world. In what is known as revesexual dimorphism, males are generally smaller than females. A newborn pup hacoat of long hair, called lanugo, wh ich they will shed within the first month as theprotective layer of blubber is developed. Listen to a Weddell Seal underwater.  

Orcas - In the Antarctic, Killer whales live amid pack -ice, but they are said not tobeyond the ice-line in the Arctic ocean. The Orca exhibits a great tolerance for vatemperatures. This is one of the reasons they enjoy a worldwide distribution.  

Rockhopper Penguins - one of the more ornate penguins, the Rockhopper stand18 inches tall and weighs about 5 to 6 pounds. It can be found on subantarctic isIts population numbers appear to be stable at about 3.5 million pairs! These birdstheir heads and cause their yellow eyebrows to fly into a "halo" in order to attract

 

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Black-browed Albatross - distinguished by its distinctive combination of white heaneat black brow. The Black-browed albatross can have a wigspan of up to eight fcan weigh up to 10 pounds! Black-browed albatrosses are the most widely distriball albatross species. Of all the albatross species they may face the greatest threfrom fisheries. 

Listen to a Leopard seal. 

Leopard Seal - named because of the colour patterns on its fur and its fierce natuLeopard seal is a fierce predator of it's favorite food - Adelie penguins. They canonto the ice and quickly grab a penguin. They also feed on fish, krill, and squid. Uother phocid seals, the leopard seal uses its large fore -flippers while swimming (

style). 

Blue Whale - named for its blue-gray color, this huge cetacean may grow to be ro100 feet long and weigh more that 120 tons! A blue whale eats about 4 tons of kday during the feeding season! This means that about 40 million krill are eaten evday for six months by a blue whale! The tongue of the blue whale can be as big aVolkswagen! The blue whale is the loudest animal on earth! Hear the blue whale

 Adelie Penguin - the Adelies courtship ceremony begins when the male drops a at the feet of his intended. They begin to fight, but if the female is interested, the very short. Once the mates have been selected, the males commence gatheringpebbles for thier nests. Adelie penguins make their nests out of rocks! Ouch!  

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Listen to the Adelie  Antarctic Shag - primarily eats fish, which they catch by diving. The bill of the AnShag is serrated for grabbing and holding onto slippery fish! All four toes on this mof the Phalacrocoridae family point forward - a rarity among birds! 

Listen to the Crabeater  

Crabeater Seal - Crabeater seals are the most numerous pinniped species in theand are curiously named since their major prey is not crabs but Antarctic krill! Thhave special lobed teeth that help them to sieve the krill out of the seawater. Craseals have been known to dive as deep as 470 feet and for a period in excess ofminutes! 

Wandering Albatross - this species of albatross wanders the oceans for months searching for food. It sleeps on the ocean surface at night and drinks seawat er. Wandering albatross is the largest bird in the world in terms of wing span - 11 feWandering albatross is endangered because of accidental killing of the bird on lo

 

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 Antarctic Fur Seal - tThe only eared seal in the Antarctic. Fur seals can be quiteaggressive and it is wise to give them a wide berth, especially in the mating seasWithin four years of their discovery in 1819, over 320,000 Fur seal pelts were takthe South Shetland Islands. Today the Fur seals are making a rapid comeback aregularly seen farther and farther south on the Antarctic Peninsula.  

Listen in on a colony of Emperors! 

Emperor Penguin - Emperor penguins, the biggest of the 17 penguin species, sta4 feet tall and can weigh as much as 100 pounds! They are the only living speciereproduce during the harsh Antarctic winter. Without a nest, the male keeps the ewarm by holding it on his feet under an abdominal fold of skin for 2 months!

Unbelievable! What a Dad!!  

Southern Elephant Seal - largest of all pinnepeds. The elephant seal gets its namthe long, curved nose the male acquires around the age of three. The snout playsignificant role in the elephant seal's spectacular breeding ritual. By a process kna catastrophic molt, elephant seals shed their coats every autumn, sloughing larpieces of hair and skin, and leaving the seal with a ragged and tattered appearanit grows new, sleek fur! 

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Chinstrap Penguin - Chinstrap penguins are named for the n arrow band of blackfeathers that extends from ear to ear. For nesting, they often select lofty sites thathe first to become snow-free, to ensure the maximum amount of time to raise thchicks. They are thought to be the most numerous penguin speci es with an estimpopulation of 12 to 13 million.  

Ross Seal - Ross Seals are very rarely seen because they live deep within theconsolidated pack-ice. It is believed that Ross Seals feed mainly on squid and, tolesser extent, fish and krill. They were named after the British polar explorer Sir JRoss, who first discovered them in 1840.