The Wildlife of Antarctica’s Islands and Peninsula Known as “the great white desert,” Antarctica doesn’t provide the most hospitable environment for life forms to survive. With over 20 years of experience in the polar tourism industry - as an expedition leader as well as company manager and tour organisor - I can help you choose the most suitable cruise for you - always with expert, honest and impartial advice and fast service.
You're bound to make friends on an Aurora Expedition... Human and animal... Journeying to unique regions always brings us closer to our fellow travellers. Read on for more information about Antarctic animals and the types of species you might spot on your voyage with Aurora Expeditions. Expeditions Online is an independent travel agency focussing exclusively on the expedition cruise industry. With onboard Antarctic wildlife experts and frequent excursions, our trips put an emphasis on learning all about the creatures that inhabit this incredible region. 1. The stunning Antarctic backdrop is worth visiting in itself, but many of our guests come to see some of the rarest animals on Earth. If you’d like to see some of these Antarctic animals in an environmentally sensitive way, accompanied by our experts and guides, please browse our range of Antarctic cruises and expeditions. But that just makes the few extremophile species who do thrive there all the more impressive. These animals were some of the very few species to survive on land after the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history—an event which may have been related to global warming resulting from volcanic eruptions in Siberia. Antarctic animals have to adapt to extreme dryness, high exposure, and bitterly cold temperatures.
Due to the cold and harsh environment in Antarctica, it’s expected that it is NOT a hospitable place for ‘life‘ to survive in.In fact, as 98% of the continent remains covered in ice, things get extremely grim in the winter with temperatures that are able to fall down to -70°C (it even reached -94.7°C back in 2010 and -89.2 in 1983) — and that comes together with 24 hours of darkness too. Set out on an Oceanwide Expeditions Antarctica cruise and experience the outermost edge of human exploration. Antarctica holds most of the world’s fresh water. Oceanwide’s Antarctic cruises immerse you fully in the incomparable terrain of Antarctica, introducing you to a diverse host of animals while also engaging you in exhilarating expedition cruise activities like kayaking, hiking, mountaineering, scuba diving, and even camping.
Find out why with these 10 fun (and a little surprising) facts about Antarctica.
An incredible 60-90% of the world’s fresh water is locked in Antarctica’s vast ice sheet. Antarctica is truly unlike anywhere else on earth. Animals Arrive in Antarctica The first land animals in Antarctica—amphibians and reptiles—appeared around 250 million years ago, at the beginning of the Triassic period.