Could polar bears survive in the Antarctic?
Polar bears could be transported to the Antarctic, but they would almost certainly destroy the wildlife that is currently there and then die out themselves. In the Antarctic, penguins breed in large numbers and have no land-based predators.
Thanks to special adaptations, such as a thick layer of blubber, two layers of fur, compact ears, and a small tail, polar bears can withstand temperatures as low as -50° Fahrenheit. Polar bears use snow like a towel.
Polar bears live in the Arctic, but not Antarctica. Down south in Antarctica you'll find penguins, seals, whales and all kinds of seabirds, but never polar bears. Even though the north and south polar regions both have lots of snow and ice, polar bears stick to the north.
For polar bears specifically, there was never a time in their evolutionary history when the North and South poles were connected by ice (or land, for that matter). People say polar bears are the "biggest terrestrial carnivore in the world, and yet they're not a terrestrial species at all," Derocher told Live Science.
Leopard seal
Famous for their fierce nature, these animals are one of the primary predators in Antarctica, using their powerful jaws and long teeth to hunt fish, squid, penguins and even other seals.
A “hidden world” discovered under the ice in Antarctica
He and other New Zealand scientists have just discovered an underwater ecosystem 500 metres under the Antarctic ice, in an estuary hundreds of kilometres from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice barrier on the white continent.
1: Arctic Fox
The hair on the pads of their feet stops them from slipping on the ice. They can curl their thick bushy tails around their nose and face to keep them warm. In winter the white fur acts as camouflage to help hide them from their prey.
“Even in Alaska and northern Canada, the temperature can get up to the 80s in the summer. So they're adapted to not only the really cold environment and icy cold water, but they do OK in warmer summer conditions.”
Polar bear
Leopard seals and orcas are the most dangerous animals to inhabit Antarctica. Pods of orcas can take on prey as large as great white sharks and blue whales. It is rare that they attack small boats.
How far south can polar bears live?
The farthest south that polar bears live all year round is James Bay in Canada, which is about the same latitude as London, England. During winter, when the polar ice pack extends further south, polar bears move as far south as Newfoundland and into the northern Bering Sea.
Polar bears are found in the Arctic, not the Antarctic. That's why polar bears and penguins will never meet; they're found in the north while penguins are found in the south. They are literally on opposite sides of the earth!
Due to its remoteness, inhospitable weather conditions and lack of natural land bridges connecting it to other continents, Antarctica has spent the last 35 million years in relative silence and seclusion. Prior to its discovery in 1820, no humans had ever set eyes on this icy continent.
-Krill provide the main diet for the other animals. -Need to emphasize that life forms of the Arctic are not necessarily found in the Antarctic, specifically polar bear, reindeer, wolves, and moose.
The people who travel to or live in Antarctica fall into two main groups, those who live and work on scientific research stations or bases, and tourists. No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents.
Antarctica would have no settlements, no population, and no government.
Antarctica is the only place on the planet where the land isn't officially owned by anyone. A few countries have made land claims (for more about this, see the information box on the next page), but those claims aren't officially recognized and don't cover the entire continent.
Given the extremely low temperatures of the lower atmosphere over Antarctica (often below -50°C), air remains very cold at surface level despite this adiabatic process. Lastly, Antarctica's aridity can also be explained in terms of its 'continentality'. Being a large landmass, much of its terrain is far from the sea.
The rough weather conditions and low visibility make it extremely difficult to fly and land a plane over the continent. It is technically possible to fly to Antarctica, but there are very few flights that take the risk of going there.
Video shows discovery of sea-sponges living nearly half a mile beneath Antarctica ice. The geologists were more than 150 miles from the open ocean when they bored a hole through the 3,000-foot-thick ice with a hot-water drill and lowered a coring device and a video camera into the dark seawater below it.
Is there electricity in Antarctica?
15/ Does Antarctica have electricity? Yes it does. Usually provided by diesel powered generators at each base, but increasingly stations are installing wind turbines to generate supplementary electricity.
"There are no real animals that are flame resistant or flame immune. There are animals that can resist super-high temperatures like ocean vents — certain worms can live in these really insane environments of heat, but that's not fire.
Generally speaking, dogs will be okay until the temperature drops to below 45°F. At that point, they may start to “feel” cold (and might seek out shelter or a way to stay warm). At 32°F, small dogs, elderly dogs, and dogs with preexisting health conditions should probably stay indoors.
Use caution when the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (around 7 degrees Celsius). It's potentially unsafe for little-or-medium-sized dogs with thin coats to be outside, but big dogs with heavier coats are probably OK.
However, grizzly bears are tougher than polar bears as they possess stronger and longer claws and an elongated skull with sharp and long canines that can completely separate the flesh from bone.