Antarctic Wildlife
Just a few remarkable species can cope with the harsh and inhospitable environment of the Antarctic regions. Nevertheless Antarctica is not just a white dessert and there is a higher diversity of species than expected.
 Due to freezing conditions, permanent darkness for several months, extremely high radiation during summer, and a lack of liquid water and nutrients the Antarctic environment is not very suitable for plants. Just two species of flowering plants can survive in Antarctica (maritime areas): Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica ) and Antarctic Pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis ). The Antarctic terrestrial vegetation is dominated by lichens and bryophytes. Between 300 and 400 species of lichens, 100 moss species, 25-30 liverworts, and even around 20 species of macro-fungi are known. The Southern Ocean offers more favourable conditions for plants than the Antarctic continent and a relatively high diversity of algae can be found. More than 700 species of terrestrial, marine and aquatic algae grow in Antarctic regions. Terrestrial plants confined to areas free of ice and with access to liquid water. Just a few species of snow algae can grow on snow and ice where they get moisture from melting snow and nutrients from trapped dust. The huge bird colonies along the coastline and on the islands provide good conditions for plants mainly through the immense input of nutrients. Sometimes big parts of the colonies show an area-wide green cover of algae (Prasiola crispa ). Mosses and lichens mostly hide in crevices to obtain enough moisture and to be protected from the wind. Many lichens and some mosses show an intensive orange, brow or even black colour. Especially in continental Antarctica , some algae, so called cryptoendoliths , grow in the pores of stones to avoid dehydration and to hide from storms.
Despite the low water temperatures in the Southern Ocean, most of Antarctic life is located there. Seals, penguins, fishes and many invertebrates spend most of their time inside these cool waters. The land animals of Antarctica are represented by very small Invertebrates such as mites, midges, springtails, nematodes, tardigrates. Most of the life in Antarctica is located in the ocean, on islands and along the shoreline of the continent. Krill –small crustaceans which mainly feed on phytoplankton – play an important role in the Antarctic ecosystem. Krill is the basic food source of many fishes, seals, penguins, and other sea birds. Even these small crustaceans provide the main food of the biggest mammals on Earth - the baleen whales. The huge swarms of krill attract a lot of whales like Humpback Whales, Southern Minke Whales, Southern Right Whales, Sei Whales, Fin Whales, and even Blue Whales. But not only baleen whales are common in the Southern Ocean, also Orcas and Sperm Whales (toothed whales) can be observed.
 Antarctica is the home of six seal species: the Antarctic Fur Seal, the Crabeater Seal, the Leopard Seal, the Weddell Seal, The Ross Seal, and the Southern Elephant Seal.
Weddell Seals are the most southerly breeding mammals in the world. They give birth to their pubs on the stable fast ice near the continent. Despite their name, Crabeater Seals are not eating crabs but rather krill. Their comb-like teeth, the most modified teeth in mammals, are designed to strain the small krill from the water. Leopard Seals rank among the top predators of the Southern Ocean. They prey upon penguins and other seals but also eat krill. Southern Elephant Seals are the biggest seals in the world. The males can reach a weight of more than 4 tons while the weight of the smaller female is maximum 700 kg.
More than 50 bird species occur in Antarctic regions during a definite season, but just a few of them also breeding there. Common birds of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are albatrosses, petrels, shags, sheathbills, skuas, Kelp Gulls and Antarctic Terns. Albatrosses are the most impressive birds of the Southern ocean. They are excellent gliders and may travel up to 8,000 km in one week. The Wandering Albatross with a wingspan of up to 3.5 meters is the World's biggest flying bird. Giant Petrels, the biggest petrel species, are frequently confused with Albatrosses. The gull-like, brown coloured skuas are real birds of prey. They feed on the eggs and chicks of penguins and other sea birds but also forage on sea for fish and krill. Two species are breeding in Antarctic regions – the Brown and the South Polar Skua. The South Polar Skua is one of the few bird species which also breeds on the Antarctic continent. Snow Petrels are also called "fairies of Antarctica ". No other birds breed further south than this beautiful, white bird. Mostly they nest near the shore but colonies can also be found more than 300 km inland and at elevations higher than 2,000 m.
 The most well-known representatives of the Antarctic fauna are the penguins. These birds are perfectly adapted to a life inside cold waters with their hydrodynamic shape, their flippers, their dense waterproof plumage and their thick layer of blubber. Through their upright, waddling pace and black-and-white, tailcoat-like colouration, penguins are the most popular birds. Of the World's 17 penguin species, four are breeding in Antarctica : Emperor, Adelie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo Penguins.
 The most famous penguins are the Emperor Penguins. They can reach 122 cm in height and 40 kg in weight. From some distance you can take them for people of short stature. Unlike other birds, Emperor Penguins are breeding during the winter season. The male incubates 65 days in icy temperatures and blizzards without returning to the sea to eat, balancing the single egg on his legs and covering it with his brood pouch. Meanwhile the female is foraging on the sea to build up fat reserves and collecting food for the chick. The chicks are hatching between middle of July and beginning of August. After the return of the female, the male leaves for the ocean to feed. By midsummer the fledglings are independent and go to the sea.
The second Penguin species which breeds on the Antarctic continent is the Adelie Penguin. They are the smallest (70 cm) and most abundant of the Antarctic penguins and feed mainly on krill. Adelie Penguins are very agile and curious birds. They build nests of small stones on the rocky beaches of the Antarctic continent and on Antarctic islands. They lay two eggs but most times just one chick survives.
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