Test your knowledge

While in Antarctica I discovered some surprising facts. Are the following statements true or false? 

1. There are polar bears in Antarctica.

2. All penguins like cold weather.

3. Krill are bioluminescent. 

4. A humpback whale can eat one ton of krill a day.

5. The sheathbill is the only bird in Antarctica that doesn't have webbed feet.

Bonus question: The sheathbill's diet consists primarily of penguin poop (aka guano).

Answers (scroll down)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. False. There are no polar bears in Antarctica. Also, there are no penguins at the North Pole.

2. False. Smaller penguin species are found in temperate and even tropical climes such as the Galapagos Islands.

 3. True. Krill do bioluminesce. I don't think anyone knows why.

 4. True. As many as 200,000 humpback whales migrate to Antarctic waters each summer to feast on krill. (The Antarctic summer is December through February.) Note: A reader commented that they thought humpbacks might eat even more than a ton of krill a day, and I (unofficially and not a scientist) think that could be true. Marine wildlife is difficult to observe on an individual basis for an extended amount of time. Some are tagged and tracked, but their whereabouts for extended periods of time are largely unknown. So oftentimes the estimates are extrapolated from other known facts. There is more room for error than with some other species that are easier to track day-to-day.

5. True. As far as I know, the sheathbill is the only bird in Antarctica that doesn't have webbed feet. And, yes, the little dove of the ice eats penguin poop.