Antarctica

Nature's toughest life forms eke out an existence in a frozen wasteland

Freezing temperatures, poor soil, lack of moisture and sunlight result in plant life limited to mosses and liverworts. There are over 200 species of lichens and approximately 50 species of bryophytes (eg. mosses). Seven hundred species of algae exist, with colourful snow algae abundant along the coast during summer. Only two species of flowering plants are found in the Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis).

 

Invertebrate life includes microscopic mites, lice, nematodes, tardigrades, rotifers, krill and springtails. The flightless midge Belgica antarctica, at 12 millimeters, is the largest purely terrestrial animal in Antarctica. The Snow Petrel is one of only three birds that breed exclusively in Antarctica. The wide variety of marine animals includes Emperor, Adélie and Rockhopper penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals. King penguins, Chinstrap penguins and Gentoo Penguins also breed in the Antarctic.

Scientific Research on Undiscovered Life Forms

The cold, dark waters of sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica are thought to contain species isolated from the world for hundreds of thousands of years. There is an ongoing drilling mission by the Russians to reach Lake Vostok 4km beneath the surface but they have not yet managed to reach it. The British Antarctic Survey will be launching a mission during the Antarctic summer of 2012/13 to drill through the West Antarctic ice sheet to reach Lake Ellsworth 3 kilometres beneath the surface ice.