Antarctica is a continent with extreme cold weather, but we can see a lot of various animals that are well adapted to survive there. Name a penguin, which is one of the animals inhabiting this continent.
In spite of the extreme cold condition in Antarctica, the amount of animal life there is kind of surprising. You can see the other animals inhabiting in Antarctica in the mammals of Antarctica. They are really adorable!
Keep continuing reading this article so you can enrich your knowledge about the 6 outstanding animals inhabiting Antarctica.
- Leopard seals
Leopard seals got their names due to the spots found on its coat. The spots are reminiscent to the famous big cat, the leopard. Leopard seals are known as fierce predators as they hunt various smaller seals and other animals, such as penguins, fish and squids as well.
Regarding to their size, an adult leopard seal can weigh between 300 to 500 kilograms and they can be 3.5 to 4 meters long. You will be able to find this leopard seals around the sub-Antarctic islands and open ice pack. They usually get close to the penguins during their breeding season.
- Snow petrels
Snow petrel is one of the outstanding animals inhabiting Antarctica. This animal is the smallest yet the most beautiful animals. They can be noticed by their pure white color, black eyes and beak.
They are as big as a pigeon but they are more fascinating. Despite their small body, they still can manage to stay alive in the extreme cold condition. They can also live for 20 years! You can see other birds inhabiting Antarctica, including snow petrels in kind of birds in Antarctica.
Due to their long life, their population in Antarctica is completely safe. There are around 4 million of snow petrels can be found in the Antarctica. They lay eggs between October and November. Snow petrels can be found close to the packing ice or continuous ice around the continent.
- Adelie penguins
Adelie penguin is another species of penguins can be found in Antarctica. Adelie penguins can be found on pack ice on the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands.
Their weight is around 5 kilograms and their height can reach less than a meter tall. Their breeding season starts from November to February and rookery can be smelled and heard before you see the chicks.
There’s a unique thing about Adelie penguins: Adelie parents, the males and females are sharing duty on rearing the youngsters and this behavior has been fascinating to the scientists for decades.
See the other species of penguins in Antarctica and you will find Adelie penguins there!
- Killer whales (Orcas)
Killer whales are the biggest species of dolphins. They have another name, which is orca. Orca seems to be less scary and frightening, isn’t it? Regarding to their population, we still can find around 100,000 orcas in the world and they can be found in every world’s oceans.
The most number of orcas can be found in the Antarctica. That’s what makes killer whale becomes one of the endangered animal species in Galapagos islands.
The good time for spotting killer whales or orcas in the wild is during the summer season. You can spot them during summer around the Antarctic Peninsula and the Ross Sea.
- Wandering albatross
This species of bird has the longest wingspan of any birds on the planet. Wandering albatross’ wingspan can reach 3.1 to 3.5 mm long and because of this, they are able to fly for great distances.
This long flights are possible because of their wingspan and the strong winds in the Antarctic region. Wandering albatross is one of the most loyal creatures as once it finds a mate, then it will stay with them for life.
Sadly saying, the population of wandering albatross is declining due to the number of deaths. Their deaths are caused by long line fishing hooks and the slow breeding process. The best time for seeing wandering albatross is before mid-November. You can see the wandering albatross around the ocean in South Georgia.
- Blue whale
This biggest and loudest animal ever known to be existed also inhabits Antarctica. A blue whale can reach 30 meters long and weigh around 200 tons. It is famous for having the loud call, which is louder than a jet engine and its heart size which is as big as a car.
However, the population of blue whale keeps declining until now. Before whaling, there were around 200,000 blue whales lived in Antarctica, but after that the number has been declining so badly. Now, there are around only 2,000 blue whales in the Antarctic Ocean.
Blue whale is classified as one of the famous whales around the world for its large size and also one of the loudest animals on Earth.
The best time to see the blue whale is during summer. You can even spot the blue whales from your Antarctic cruise.