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TheAntarcticait is a semicircular land mass of about 45,000 kilometers in diameter. It is considered the sixth continent and is located in the south of the planet.
Climate of Antarctica
Antarctica is the windiest and coldest continent on the planet. This area is characterized by an extremely cold climate, which can be subdivided into three different types of climate:
- The downtown area. It is considered the coldest area, where very few animal and plant species live.
- The coastal area. It has moderate temperatures and some precipitation.
- The peninsula. The temperatures are somewhat warmer and more humid and, in the summer, there are usually temperatures between -2 ° C and 5 ° C.
Flora of Antarctica
The flora in Antarctica is practically non-existent. Only some moss, lichens, algae and phytoplankton can be found in the coastal area since, in the rest of the continent, the permanent ice sheet that covers the ground prevents the proliferation of flora in this place.
Fauna of Antarctica
Due to its icy climate, terrestrial fauna is also scarce in Antarctica. However, there are some animals such as snowy owls, sea leopards, white wolves and polar bears. On the peninsula it is possible to see birds of prey and, in the coastal area, these birds feed on fish.
Most of the terrestrial animals of Antarctica migrate to the because winter is very extreme even for adapted species. The only species that does not migrate and remains throughout the Antarctic winter is the male emperor penguin, which remains incubating the eggs while the females migrate towards the coasts.
The aquatic flora, on the other hand, is abundant. Here live sea lions, right whales, blue whales, seals, penguins, sharks and a large number of fish such as cod, sole, notothenids and lanterns, as well as echinoderms (starfish, sea suns) and crustaceans (krill, crabs, shrimp ).
