![head of Ross MacPhee](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot/5896440-2-eng-US/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot_full_495.png 115w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot/5896440-2-eng-US/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot_full_990.png 115w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot/5896440-2-eng-US/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot_full_1468.png 115w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot/5896440-2-eng-US/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot_full_1980.png 115w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot/5896440-2-eng-US/pole-ross-mcphee-headshot_full_2475.png 115w)
Click the (+) signs to explore the items in my scrapbook.
![Antarctic Animals](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/legacy_t03_animals/5898823-1-eng-US/legacy_t03_animals_full_495.png 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/legacy_t03_animals/5898823-1-eng-US/legacy_t03_animals_full_990.png 990w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/legacy_t03_animals/5898823-1-eng-US/legacy_t03_animals_full_1468.png 1200w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/legacy_t03_animals/5898823-1-eng-US/legacy_t03_animals_full_1980.png 1200w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/legacy_t03_animals/5898823-1-eng-US/legacy_t03_animals_full_2475.png 1200w)
![scrapbook page showing Antarctic animals like seals, jellyfish, krill, and penguins](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/pole_legacy03_animals/5928751-2-eng-US/pole_legacy03_animals_full_495.jpg 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/pole_legacy03_animals/5928751-2-eng-US/pole_legacy03_animals_full_990.jpg 926w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/pole_legacy03_animals/5928751-2-eng-US/pole_legacy03_animals_full_1468.jpg 926w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/pole_legacy03_animals/5928751-2-eng-US/pole_legacy03_animals_full_1980.jpg 926w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/pole_legacy03_animals/5928751-2-eng-US/pole_legacy03_animals_full_2475.jpg 926w)
Oceans Full of Life
Not many plants and animals can survive on the Antarctic continent. But the ocean around it is filled with life! These marine animals have unique traits that help them survive in this extreme environment.
![seals barking and another picture of whale with nose sticking out of break in the ice](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals/5936945-4-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals_full_495.jpg 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals/5936945-4-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals_full_990.jpg 990w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals/5936945-4-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals_full_1468.jpg 1468w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals/5936945-4-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals_full_1980.jpg 1600w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals/5936945-4-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals02_mammals_full_2475.jpg 1600w)
Marine Mammals
Seals swim along the coastlines of Antarctica. They return to land only to breed. Whales live in the surrounding seas. A thick layer of fat, called blubber, keeps these mammals warm in the chilly ocean.
![shrimp-like krill](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill/5936957-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill_full_495.jpg 400w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill/5936957-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill_full_990.jpg 400w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill/5936957-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill_full_1468.jpg 400w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill/5936957-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill_full_1980.jpg 400w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill/5936957-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals03_krill_full_2475.jpg 400w)
Krill
One tiny little krill may not seem like much. But imagine 350 million tons of these little shrimp-like creatures together in the Antarctic. When they swarm at the surface, they can turn the sea red for hundreds of square miles.
![jellyfish floating underwater](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish/5936949-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish_full_495.jpg 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish/5936949-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish_full_990.jpg 990w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish/5936949-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish_full_1468.jpg 1000w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish/5936949-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish_full_1980.jpg 1000w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish/5936949-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals04_jellyfish_full_2475.jpg 1000w)
Jellyfish
What’s one of the most common animals swimming in the Antarctic waters? It’s not seals, penguins, or even a fish. It’s jellyfish!
![black and white penguins walking on ice and snow](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins/5936953-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins_full_495.jpg 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins/5936953-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins_full_990.jpg 990w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins/5936953-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins_full_1468.jpg 1100w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins/5936953-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins_full_1980.jpg 1100w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/earth/race-to-the-south-pole/pole-04_legacy/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins/5936953-1-eng-US/enlarge_legacy_animals05_penguins_full_2475.jpg 1100w)
Penguins
Penguins can’t fly, but they’re well suited for icy waters. Tightly packed feathers and blubber keep them warm and dry. When emperor penguins dive for dinner, they can hold their breath for more than 20 minutes!
Image Credits:
seal, orca, penguins, and jellyfish, © US Antarctic Program; krill, © AGE FotoStock.