Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/15/2006 - 08:47
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 06

we are in Isabellas class.How cold does it get?Have you ever seen a polar bear before?Do you like penguins or polar bears more and why.Would you rather be in Illions now?

 

Sun, 01/07/2007 - 11:23

Allan Miller

It's amazing but you won't find a single land mammal anywhere in Antarctica - this simply isn't an ecosystem that seems to be capable of supporting polar bears, or moose, caribou, fox, marmot, squirrel, etc - all the things that we are used to having in the Arctic up in Alaska.  To me it was even more amazing that there isn't any plant life and hardly any insects - these are forms of life that seem to be able to thrive in every other ecosystem around the planet.  Antarctica is mostly a cold, snowy, windy, desolate rock - but maybe it's this uniqueness that makes it such an interesting place.  I really loved my time there and hope that sometime many of you get the chance to see it as well.   Allan  (Illinois would be fun too!)