Animal Adventures Antarctica

Animal Adventures
Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent and is the site of the South Pole. It’s also colder, dryer, and windier than any other continent. Scientists exploring Antarctica have reported winds as fast as 200 miles per hour (321.87km/h). Antarctica’s ice sheet holds between 60 and 90 percent of all the freshwater on Earth. If this entire ice sheet melted, sea levels around the world would rise by about 200 ft (60m). This would change the shape of the continents and put many major cities underwater.

Adelie Penguins

Adelie penguins are very feisty and have been known to attack potential predators, larger birds, and human researchers by slapping them with their flippers. Male adelie penguins attract females by building the biggest nest possible out of rocks, sometimes even...

Antarctic tern

Antarctic terns prefer to live on rocky cliffs and ice edges. They live in small loose colonies, usually with no more than 40 nests distributed widely over one clif. Antarctic terns fish by flying just above the water and diving just below the surface to catch fish...

Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest animal in the world. Newborn blue whales weigh 2 tons, which is more than the weight of three grizzly bears, and in the first year of their life they gain 200lbs (90.72kg) every day. Typically, they’re slow, graceful swimmers with a...

Chinstrap penguin

The chinstrap penguin gets its name from the narrow stripe that runs across the bottom of its head. It’s generally considered to be the most aggressive species of penguin. The chinstrap penguin is so noisy that it’s been nicknamed “the stonebreaker penguin” because...

Common Octopus

Because octopi don't have skeletons they are able to manipulate their bodies to fit into super tight spaces. In addition to their malleability they are also able to change colors in order to camouflage with their environment. When hiding and blending in aren’t...

Crabeater Seal

Contrary to their name, crabeater seals don’t actually eat crabs. They were misnamed by the people who first discovered them. With a diet of almost exclusively krill many refer to them as “krilleater seals”...

Emperor Penguins

Emperor penguins are the largest species of penguin. In order to keep warm during the harsh antarctic winter emperor penguins huddle together. They take turns on the inside and outside of the huddles so they all are shielded from the cold wind. They get very close...

Gentoo Penguin

Gentoo penguins can be recognized by the thick white stripe that goes across the top of their head from one eye to the other. Its tail, which is longer and more prominent than that of other penguins, sweeps side to side when it waddles around on land. Gentoo...

Orca

Orcas are very intelligent and social. They can communicate with a wide variety of sounds and each pod has unique sounds that allow them to recognize each other from far away. They also use echolocation in order to hunt and communicate. They can make sounds that...

Sea Star

Most sea stars have 5 arms but some are able to grow up to 50. Each of these arms is covered into tiny suckers and organs which the sea star uses to creep along the floor of the ocean. Sea stars generally aren’t very social, but occasionally groups of them will...