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Photograph courtesy of BAS
What do
you know about the weather conditions in Antarctica?
- Antarctica is very cold. The mean temperature of the interior of Antarctica ranges between –40º and -68ºC during the coldest months and –15 to -35ºC during the warmest months.
- Antarctica is very windy. The katabatic
winds that blow from the interior can reach 300 km per hour.
What do you know about the
animals that live on and around Antarctica?
- Antarctica is home to tiny invertebrates (animals without backbones) like midges,
mites, springtails and lice.
- The water around Antarctica is home to
krill, seals, fish, whales, sea birds and penguins and tiny
organisms called plankton. Phytoplankton are microscopic plants;
zooplankton are microscopic animals.
Weddell Seal
Prepare a sheet with columns labelled `Fish’, `Birds’, `Mammals’ and `Other Animals’. Cut out pictures of Antarctic animals and paste them to the appropriate columns. Discuss the characteristics of each group.
Research one of the following Antarctic animals:
- One of the species of baleen whales
- One of the species of seals
- An Antarctic sea bird such as an albatross, gull, petrel, or skua.
- One of the species of Antarctic penguins.
Find out and report on their body structure and size, life cycle, food, breeding patterns and how they have adapted to Antarctic conditions. Some of the Antarctic animals are able to survive because they use one or both of two methods: anti-freeze and insulation.
- Animals like seals and whales have some type of insulation that helps keep their bodies warm. Define the word “insulation”?
- Some animals like fish and arthropods,
have chemicals in their bodies that act as anti-freeze, preventing
their bodies from freezing. Is that cool, or what?
Animals that live in Antarctica have had to adapt to this environment over thousands of years. Define the word “adapt”? Look at another animal from another harsh environment, such as the desert, and discuss the ways in which it has adapted to its environment. Compare this to the Antarctic animal you have researched. What similarities or differences can you see in the adaptations?
Emperor penguins
Show how Emperor penguins are different from and similar to flying birds. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Small wings work best for penguins swimming through the water. What do flying birds need to hold them in the air - a large or a small wingspan?
- Emperor penguins carry large reserves of blubber to live in the freezing weather. Do flying birds carry large reserves of blubber?
- Penguins have a white underside and a dark (mostly black) upperside. This is camouflage. A predator (such as a leopard seal or orca) looking up from below has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface. The dark plumage on their backs camouflages them from above. Do flying birds have camouflage?
- The bones of an Emperor penguin are heavy and solid to help them float lower in the water. Are the bones of flying birds, solid or hollow?
- Penguins have stiff tightly packed
feathers that overlap to provide waterproofing.
What sort of
feathers do flying birds have?
- Emperor penguins huddle together to
conserve heat. Do flying birds display this sort of behaviour?
Now show the ways that Emperor penguins are different from and similar to seals and whales.
Using ideas from your research in animal adaptation, design a totally new animal that is well suited for living in Antarctica. First draw your animal and then turn it into a model. Describe where you found it, what it eats, what it looks like, what eats it, how it behaves and what its name is. How is your new animal adapted for life in Antarctica?
Explain how humans have adapted to living or working in Antarctica. Do you think it is easy or hard to work in Antarctica? (Be prepared to tell why).
Photographs courtesy of BAS
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