Antarctica: nature. Animal and Flora of Antarctica

This is one of the most mysterious and poorly studied continents on our planet. Two brave explorers, M. Lazarev and F. Bellingshausen, discovered Antarctica. Their expedition confirmed the presence of Antarctica in the south of the globe. It happened in 1820.

Today, this southern continent of the earth, like in antiquity, keeps many mysteries. The nature of Antarctica is quite severe and does not differ in variety. It is established that this is the highest continent. The land rises above sea level by 2-4 thousand (in the center of the continent) kilometers.

Description of continent

Transarctic mountains cross Antarctica and divide it into two parts - the eastern and the western. Almost the entire continent is covered with ice. Only in the western part of it about forty thousand square kilometers are occupied by ice-free areas. They are on the shore of the Pacific Ocean - small plains and several mountain peaks, called nunataks. They rise above the ice cover.

The ice cover of the continent is the most powerful on Earth - 30 million cubic meters of ice, representing 90% of the ice reserves of the earth. It is characteristic that the ice of Antarctica contains a huge reserve of fresh water.

Climatic conditions

The nature of Antarctica is distinguished by the coldest climate on earth. In 1983, the absolute minimum was registered - minus 89.2 degrees. In winter, the temperature rises from -60 to -75 degrees. In the summer, it rises to -50. And only on the coast the climate is milder: the average temperature ranges from 0 to -20 degrees.

Precipitation is possible only in the form of snow, which is compressed under its own weight, forming new layers of ice.

However, there are rivers and lakes in Antarctica. They appear in the summer, and in winter they again become covered with ice crust. Today, scientists have discovered 140 subglacial lakes. Of these, only one does not freeze - the East.

Flora of Antarctica

The continent's flora is extremely poor. Features of the nature of Antarctica are explained by its harsh climate. Most of all, there are algae growing here - about 700 species. Free from the ice of the plains and the coast of the mainland cover lichens and mosses. Flowering plants on this harsh land are only two - klobantus kito and Antarctic meadow.

Quiloboth whale belongs to the clove family. This is a low herbaceous plant, which has a pillow-like shape with small pale yellow and white flowers. The height of an adult plant does not exceed five centimeters.

Antarctic meadow refers to cereals. It grows only on the plots of land illuminated by the sun. These nondescript bushes grow to 20 centimeters. The plant tolerates frosts well. Even during flowering, frosts do not harm him.

The plant world of Antarctica, represented by a few plants, has adapted to the eternal cold. Their cells contain little water, all processes are slow.

Animals

Features of the nature of Antarctica have left their imprint on the fauna of the continent. The animals of this icy country live only where there is vegetation. Despite the harsh climate, dinosaurs inhabited Antarctica in ancient times.

Antarctic animals can be conditionally divided into two separate groups - water and land. It should be noted that there are no animals permanently inhabiting land in Antarctica.

The waters surrounding the continent are rich in zooplankton, which is the main food for seals, whales, penguins and fur seals. Here live icefish - amazing creatures, adapted to exist in ice water.

Large blue animals of Antarctica are blue whales, which are attracted to a large number of shrimps.

In fresh lakes there are blue-green algae and round worms, there are crustaceans and daphnia.

Birds

For the penguins, polar terns and skuas, the home is Antarctica. The nature of the continent does not allow living here more birds. Four species of penguins live in Antarctica. The largest population is the imperial one. Petrels fly occasionally to the southern mainland.

Mammals

Antarctica, the nature of which is too harsh to live animals, can boast of only those species that are able to inhabit both on land and in water. First of all, these are seals. In addition, on the coast live sea leopards and sea elephants. There are small dolphins of sand or black and white color, which whalers are called sea cows.

Predators of Antarctica

On this continent, there are many diverse predators. Their diet is mainly composed of planktonic crustaceans. Of these, it is necessary to highlight the marine leopard - the largest seal that feeds on krill. It lives in shallow waters. However, he has the glory of a predator, which is able to hunt and large animals. Such hunting nevertheless has only a seasonal character and is intended to diversify the diet consisting of squid and fish, but the basis is krill. A small number of these marine predators are kept near the rookeries of fur seals and penguin colonies. In most cases these giants drift on ice floes along the peninsula and by the beginning of winter gather in large numbers near South Georgia.

Sea leopards are real giants. Registered officially the length - 3.8 meters, but there were animals and larger.

By autumn, leopards change their way of life and come close to the shore, along which inexperienced young fur seals and penguins descend.

Invertebrates

Who fully fits the nature of Antarctica, so this invertebrate arthropod. In Antarctica there are 67 species of mites and four kinds of lice. There are puhoedy, fleas and, of course, mosquitoes. It should be noted that wingless mosquitoes, having a coal-black color, live only on the ice continent. These insects are endemic, belonging to a completely land animal.

The majority of invertebrates and insects are introduced to the southern continent by birds.

Tourism

Despite the harsh climate, about six thousand tourists come to Antarctica every year. Most of them go to the Antarctic Peninsula, where there is an airfield and a tourist base. In the 1990s, tourists began to visit the Ross Sea.