3. Kid`s Center
Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba) are tiny creatures found in the icy cold oceans around Antarctica. Although krill don’t grow larger than your pinky, they are really just about the biggest thing in the ocean!
Krill Rule!
Baleen Whales—the largest animals on the planet—feed almost exclusively on krill (so just imagine how many krill there have to be in the ocean to keep up with the demands of all those whales!). They are also a primary source of food for other marine life, including penguins and fish. And still there are so many krill in the oceans that when they swarm together they can be seen from outer space!
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Fun facts
- Krill can go for up to 200 days without eating.
- Krill float together in huge swarms that can be seen from outer space.
- These tiny guys have crazy defensive techniques.
- Not only do they swarm together (do you think they're trying to look big to scare of their predators?),but they can swim backwards to escape danger.
- The weirdest thing of all—they can swim right out of their skins, instantly molting and leaving their old exoskeletons behind as a decoy!
Interesting Facts:
-
2
inches of precipitation fall in Antarctica
each year
on average -
10,000
number of
eggs
a female krill lays at one time -
2½
the size, in inches, of the
average
krill -
98%
of Antarctica is covered by fresh water ice -
90%
the world's
ice
is in Antarctica -
There
are no native land
mammals
in
Antarctica -
0
Number of
permanent
residents
in Antarctica
-
Krill can go for up to
200
days
without eating
-
If
Antarctica
melted,
the sea level could rise
200 feet
worldwide -
1,000
Average Antarctic human population
in
the winter
-
70%
of world's fresh water
is
frozen -
Summer
has
only
reached
maximum of 58F -
Winter
temperature
can
drop
as low as
-20F -
4,000
Average Antarctic human population
in
summer
-
Antarctica
is the driest
continent
on Earth
(less than 2 inches of rain per year) -
10
Number of
human babies
born in Antarctica
-
2,000,000
estimated
tons of krill
in a swarm -
29
number of
nations
that send scientists to conduct experiments in Antarctica -
10
number of years krill can
live -
Krill is more than
twice
the total weight of all humans
on earth -
47
number of
countries
who have signed the Antarctic Treaty -
Antarctica is
1.5 times the size
of the
United States -
0
number of
govern-
mentsthat rule Antarctica