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The farthest-south living animal is a pink mite. It measures around 1/100 of an inch in length. This wee creature eats algae and fungi and resembles a spider. A Hawaiian museum entomologist located this mite only a short time ago, as close as 309 miles to the South Pole.There were lichens within 266 miles of the Pole, which is closer than any living organism has been found.

Insects and their family are the only animals that can stay on Antarctica all year long. A recent magazine article reported this. Although your eye can’t see them, around 56 species of arthropods have been found there. At about the same size as a horsefly, a wingless fly is the biggest. When the temperature finally warms enough to melt water, thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, they become awakened, and no longer hibernate. You will find info on cruise to Antarctica 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. Wanting to learn more about life in the ocean, scientist submerged a six by four foot capsule. The professionals each took turns climbing into the make-shift lab, and looked out the windows at the dark, cold world around them. They even built in a hydrophone so that they could listen to the sounds of the ocean.

While there weren’t many fish in the sea, a 30 foot long jellyfish was detected.Seals were constantly surrounding the chamber. They were very curious about it. The hydrophone gave scientists that chance to hear the seals; they chirped, whistled, buzzed and beeped. This was an underwater racket one scientist hadn’t heard previously.

Scientists speculate that the seals are using this noise to both communicate and find their way in the dark waters. The navigation theory helps scientist understand how the seals could find food and sources of air in the dark waters. Sound tracks of these seal sounds are being carefully examined. Human ears can’t even hear all the sounds the seals make due to their rapid beat and high frequency. If you are in search of info don’t forget to view this resource best Antarctic cruise.

No one knows exactly how they make the sounds. To remain airtight underwater, they shut their mouths and nostrils. The deepest a mammal has ever been recorded to dive is nearly 1500 feet; this was a Weddell seal. They can also submerge themselves for long periods. One stayed under for over 28 minutes. A sample of seal mother’s milk was collected by a 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. Newborn seals can multiply their weight five times in just six weeks.

With special diving suits, the seas around Antarctica have been investigated by scientists. Red seaweed, in addition to lots of other colored seaweed, grew on the bottom of the sea. Five-foot long worms, four-foot diameter sponges and big red and white starfish were down there, too.