Antarctic Wildlife

Antarctic Wildlife is not simply penguins on iceburgs, although indeed the most prominent inhabitant of Antarctic wildlife is the penguin. A flightless bird, it lives on the pack ice and in the oceans around Antarctica and breeds on the land or ice surfaces along the coast. Most typical are the Adélie and Emperor penguins.

Cape Adare is the site of the largest Adelie Penguin rookery in Antarctica. Blanketing the large flat spit which forms the Cape is the huge rookery which at the height of summer, numbers up to one million birds - a truly remarkable sight. The hustle and bustle of this penguin metropolis is truly memorable, providing many a perfect photographic opportunity.

Contrary to popular belief, some of the land in Antarctica is not covered with ice providing pocket oasis' of land that sustains some wildlife and plants although there are no naturally-occurring mammals, reptiles or amphibians.

Whales including humpbacks come to feed all summer long on the rich supplies of Krill in the Antarctic's surrounding seas. The surrounding ocean, however, abounds in living creatures. The Crabeater, Elephant, and Leopard Seals are found in Antarctica, they all feed at sea using sonar and the enhanced sight of their large eyes. Each of the species feeds on a different diet or in a different region which avoids any competition over food.

The Albatross covers thousands of square kilometres of ocean. Wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans ) range from sub-tropical to Antarctic waters on trips covering up to 10,000 km in 10-20 days with a wingspan of around 3 metres. These now endangered birds are truly majestic. A few species of Antarctic seabird are adapted to breed regularly on the Antarctic continent, with the Emperor and Adélie penguins, Antarctic snow petrels, being the most abundant species. The ability to survive in such climatic extremes is aided by behavioural adaptions and physiological characteristics such as subdermal fat and layers of down and feathers making sure that they are equipped for the freezing temperatures.