Flora and Fauna

The first thing you’ll notice when visiting Antarctica is the abundance of penguins. Penguins return to land in spring – November and December – and are busy building their nests during this period. Various species of penguin can be seen on the Antarctic Peninsula, including Adélie penguins, gentoo penguins and chinstrap penguins.

The emperor penguin is rarely seen on the peninsula. Emperor penguins have a blue-grey back that blends into a black tail. Their belly is white with a hint of yellow, which becomes brighter in the yellow patches on their cheeks. Unlike other penguin chicks, the chicks have a beautiful grey body and a black head with a white mask around the eyes.

There is a large population of seals in Antarctica. They can be divided into three families: the Phocidae, or true seals; the Otariidae, or eared seals; and the Odobenidae, or walruses. Of the nineteen species of true seals, five are found in Antarctica. Seals and sea lions, like penguins, mate during the months of November and December.

The orca, or killer whale, is one of the most successful species of dolphin, with populations in all the seas and oceans on Earth. Orcas have 44 conical teeth which they use to grasp their prey. They usually hunt fish, but also sea lions. Orcas always live in groups. These groups can range in size from 2 to 90 orcas. Within the group, the oldest female is in charge.

Although they grow to only 15 metres in length, they can weigh up to 40 tonnes. A striking feature is their long pectoral fins, which are about a third of their body length. The humpback whale spends the summer in the cold waters around the poles, due to the abundance of food there. It spends the winter in the tropics to breed.

Albatrosses mainly feed on prey they find on the surface of the sea. The region is also home to various other bird species, such as Cape pigeons, blue petrels and Antarctic petrels.

When snow falls in Antarctica, its weight compresses the snow beneath it, turning it into ice. As the ice descends further, the air bubbles are squeezed out of the ice, turning it a clear blue. When a glacier containing this blue ice breaks off and the pieces drift away, ‘blue icebergs’ are formed – one of Antarctica’s most unique phenomena!

In Antarctica, you can see stunning snow sculptures formed by the erosion of the snow. These polished formations can reach several metres in height and be as hard as concrete. The snow sculptures are at their most beautiful in November, when the sun shines across these magnificent undulations, causing the snow and ice to glisten.

On the Antarctic mainland, including the interior, and the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, there are around 30 species of mosses and 125 species of lichens. Moss beds are often discoloured to a brownish hue because they temporarily lack sufficient water to flourish properly. Not much else grows in Antarctica.