Together there are more than 9,000 species: from the smallest organisms to anemones or penguins.
These are the protagonists of the most complete census of Antarctic marine life ever carried out, which is published this week.
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The showy, bright cushion stars feed on seal droppings in shallow Antarctic waters.
Under the title «Biogeographic Atlas of the Antarctic Ocean», the exhaustive work is the first to be carried out in the area since 1969.
The book has 66 chapters, around 100 photographs and 800 maps, and is sponsored by the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.
«It has been a huge international effort and served as a legacy for the dedicated team of scientists who have contributed to its production,» said Huw Griffiths, one of the authors and editors of the atlas, from British Antarctic Research (BAS). in English).
image source, Henri Robert RINS
Humpback whales, which weigh around 36 tons, migrate to Antarctic waters to feed during the summer.
According to Griffiths, the book may appeal to «anyone interested in animals that live at the ends of the Earth.»
In total, 147 scientists from 91 different institutions around the world participated in the census, which took four years of work.
Its authors hope that the publication will inform conservation policies, such as the debate on whether it is necessary to establish marine protection areas in open strips of the Antarctic Ocean.
The atlas data includes the distribution of the different species, information on their genetics and evolution, interaction with the physical environment, and the impact of climate change.
The researchers say that the compilation of all the knowledge can help predict how the habitats and distribution of important species may change in the future.
«This is the first time that all records of Antarctic marine biodiversity, since the beginnings of unique Antarctic exploration in the days of Captain Cook, have been collected, analyzed and mapped by the scientific community,» he said. Claude De Broyer, editor-in-chief of the book and a member of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
According to De Broyer, the new atlas is an «accessible database of useful information» for conserving marine life in the Southern Ocean.
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This young elephant seal was photographed on Marion Island, one of South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands.
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This 9cm long carnivorous creature is the giant Antarctic isopod, and it is found in large numbers near the coasts of the southern continent.
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The Antarctic sea anemone lives in depths of up to 3 km and has 96 tentacles.
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The maps illustrate data such as the time some species spend under sea ice (left) and the number of species recorded across the ocean (right).
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Adélie penguins currently inhabit the entire Antarctic coast.
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These sample range maps show views of king (red) and emperor (blue) penguins on the left, and killer whales on the right.
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The community around a volcanic vent, more than 2 km below the surface, includes large swarms of yeti crabs that feed on bacteria.