Antarctica
The world’s coldest continent, Antarctica is also its
most remote, meaning it is far from any other land
mass. Ice more than 1 mile (1.6 km) thick covers
most of it, and temperatures go down to -129 ̊ F
(-89.2 ̊ C), too extreme for many animals. Since it
doesn’t rain here, Antarctica is considered a desert.
SCALE
250 kilometers
0
0
250 miles
Location
Antarctica is found at
the bottom of the Earth.
It is home to the Earth’s
most southerly point,
the South Pole.
HABITAT KEY
Snow
and ice
Leopard seal
Even though it has
enormous jaws and eats
other animals, this seal’s
main food is tiny krill.
Patagonian
toothfish
Unlike most Antarctic
fish, the toothfish has
chemicals in its blood
that prevent it
from freezing.
Adélie penguin
SO
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HER
OC N
EAN
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ED
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LL
SE
A
A
N
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ENI
NS
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LA
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NE
ICE
SHELF
FI
LC
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IC
E S H E L F
W e s t
Antarctica
Weddell seal
Weddell seals can stay
underwater for up to
82 minutes while they
hunt for icefish.
Blackfin icefish
This fish’s blood is white
because it has no red blood
cells. This makes it easier
for blood to move around
the body in icy water.
Antarctic
minke whale
This small whale eats
krill by using comblike
structures in its mouth
called baleen.
Chinstrap
penguin
These penguins look as if they
have a strap around their chin.
They are often found on icebergs
in the sea around Antarctica.
TO
SOUTH
AMERICA
TO
NEW
ZEALAND
Mountains
TR
A N S A N T A R C T I C
M O U N T A
IN
S
Wandering
albatross
With the longest wingspan
of any bird—11^1 ⁄ 2 ft (3.5 m)
—the wandering albatross
can glide for hours at a time.
Southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal
is Earth’s largest seal. Males
can grow up to 20 ft (6 m)
long and weigh 8,501 lb
(3,856 kg), but females are
much smaller. An inflatable,
trunklike nose allows males
to make loud roaring calls. Li
m
it
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f
su
mm
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L i m i t o f w i n t e r p a c k
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c
e
South
Pole
R
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S
IC
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H
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F
US_084_085_Antarctica.indd 84 18/04/2017 18:23