Animals Fill The Waters Surrounding Antarctica
By Advisor. Filed in Florida |
The southernmost animal that has ever been known to live is the little pink mite native to Antarctica/This little critter that looks a lot like a spider likes to eat algae and fungi. An entomologist from Hawaii recently discovered this mite only 309 miles from the South Pole. The entomologist also found lichens within 266 miles of the Pole. This is the closest any living thing has ever been found to the Pole.
Some written reports claim that only insects and their kin can live year round on Antarctica. There are fifty-six species of arthropods on the continent. You’ll need magnification to see most of them. One insect you could easily see is about the size of a common horsefly. It’s a wingless fly. Lying dormant until the air reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit, they then become active. You will find info on Antarctic cruises by visiting that site.
The waters surrounding the continent are starkly different than the land. They are bustling with life from microscopic shrimp to the blue whale, which is the largest living being on the planet. Scientist, in the search for more knowledge of sea life, put a six by four foot capsule under the water. Spying out into the water through the six available windows, the scientists took turns being submerged. They even utilized a hydrophone to listen into the sea life.
One jelly fish swam by with tentacles trailing thirty feet behind it. They didn’t see many other fish. The waters were often graced by seals, who used the hole scientist had cut into the ice to surface for air, and inspected the capsule. The hydrophone gave scientists that chance to hear the seals; they chirped, whistled, buzzed and beeped. One scientist said he’d never heard such noise before.
The Weddell seals may be using these sounds to communicate with each other and as a means of sonar navigation. The navigation theory could help scientists comprehend how the seals can find holes to surface for air and food in the dark, cold Antarctic waters. Seal sounds are being investigated. Our human range of hearing can’t even pick up on some of the more extremely pitched sounds made by the seals.If you are in search of info don’t forget to view this resource ideal Antarctic cruise.
Scientists don’t know how Weddell seals make all their sounds. Both their nostrils and mouths are very tightly closed when the seals are underwater. Using depth gauges, scientists have watched Weddell seals dive down to 1500 feet in depth. This is a mammalian record. Their lung capacity is also great, one seal waiting a half hour before needing to emerge from the water.A sample of mother seals milk was procured by one lucky zoologist. Seal pups add weight faster than any other known mammal; this could be due to the fact that seal milk has much more fat in it than human milk does. It only takes newborn seals six weeks to increase its weight by five times.
Scientists dressed in frogman suits, were able to check out the seas round Antarctica. They even found red, among other colored, seaweed growing on the sea floor. Scientists also found red and white species of starfish in addition to massive sponges and very long worms.
