Map of Antarctica
Discovery
1773 - Captain Cook - his wooden ship could not penetrate the ice ring. 1822 - James Weddell (Sealing) 1830 - Whalers came 1911 - Roald Amundsen reaches South Pole 1915 - Shackleton stuck in ice 1959 – Antarctic Treaty
Amundsen’s Discovery of South Pole
Roald Amundsen
Race with Scott Dogs instead of horses and motorized sleds Ate dogs as supply sleds didn’t need them Reached Pole on December 16, 1911 Placed the flag of Norway
Robert Scott Entire expedition dies.
Race with Amundsen Took Siberian horses Motorized sleds quickly broke down Refused to eat dogs Horses died Men had to pull Pole January 17, 1912 All men died on return
Sir Ernest Shackleton Stuck in Ice – Lost Ship
Plants
2 Flowering Plants Pearlwort Grass Only on Antarctic Peninsula There are also bacteria, molds, yeast, algae and fungi
Antarctic Birds
Snow Petrels Terns Fulmars Cape Pigeons Skuas Terns Penguins
Snow Petrel
Small as a robin Dart over ocean like large mosquitoes
Skua
Has hooked bill Has sharp claws Feeds only ashore Eats penguin eggs Eats weak penguin chicks
Albatross
These birds roam the oceans at the bottom of the world.
Penguins
18 species of penguins 4 live in Antarctica Emperor Adelie Southern Gentoos Chinstrap
Emperor
Largest of all penguins Hatch eggs during coldest winter months Female lays egg in May Male hatches egg for 2 months and loses 40% of body weight Female takes over
Adelie
Most numerous Named after Captain d’Urville’s wife Very small
Southern Gentoos
Live on peninsula 2-1/2 feet tall Gentle and timid White connected patches above eyes
Chinstrap
Black marking under chin from ear to ear
Whales
Baleen Toothed
Blue Whales - Baleen
Baleen whale – strain food, mostly krill Largest animal in the world 200,00 pounds - More than 5,700 mid-sized cars! 100 feet long
Humpback - Baleen
Filters food Eats mainly krill Is less streamlined Has long flippers
Sperm Whale - Toothed
Uses echo sounding to find prey Can dive 3,000 feet Only males migrate to Antarctica
Orcas – Toothed Whales
Resembles a dolphin Largest carnivore Eats seals and penguins Hunt in packs Will even bump icebergs to knock off penguins
Seals
Crabeaters Leopard Ross Weddell Southern Elephant
Seals
Live in groups called pods Six species live in Antarctica
Elephant – Crabeater - Leopard
Elephant – largest Crabeaters Leopard
Southern Elephant Seals
Weigh up to 8,000 lbs. Largest of the world’s seals
Southern Fur Seals
Were nearly wiped out by seal hunters in the nineteenth century Live in groups - pods Have paddle like flippers or fins Have a thick layer of blubber
Southern Fur Seal