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A rich sea life thrives under the barren expanse of McMurdo Sound's ice pack. Frigid waters that would kill many other fish in the world sustain the Antarctic notothenioid, a bony "ice fish" related to walleyes and perch. Cactus sponges, globe sponges, starfish, sea urchins, and sea anemones are also present.
Marine mammals in the Ross Sea include the Antarctic minke whale, killer whale, Weddell seal, crabeater seal, and leopard seal. Antarctic toothfish, Antarctic silverfish, Antarctic krill, and crystal krill also swim in the cold Antarctic water of the Ross Sea. [44] A distinct ecotype of Orca called Type C can be found in the Ross Sea. [45]
A map of the Antarctic region, including the Antarctic Convergence and the 60th parallel south The Antarctic Plate. The Antarctic (/ æ n ˈ t ɑːr t ɪ k,-k t ɪ k /, US also / æ n t ˈ ɑːr t ɪ k,-k t ɪ k /; commonly / æ ˈ n ɑːr t ɪ k /) [Note 1] is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.
The Antarctic Sound is a body of water about 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) long and from 7 to 12 nautical miles (13 to 22 km; 8 to 14 mi) wide, separating the Joinville Island group from the northeast end of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Antarctic sea life includes penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals. The emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adélie penguin breeds farther south than any other penguin.
It is the southernmost island reachable by sea. Huts built by Scott's and Shackleton's expeditions are still standing on the island, preserved as historical sites. Today Ross Island is home to New Zealand's Scott Base and to the largest Antarctic settlement, the United States Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station.
Antarctic melt stream. Antarctica is a desert, receiving very little annual precipitation. [1] However meltwater from the continent's ice features produce a number of rivers and streams. A list of these can be found at List of rivers of Antarctica
A speculative representation of Antarctica labelled as ' Terra Australis Incognita ' on Jan Janssonius's Zeekaart van het Zuidpoolgebied (1657), Het Scheepvaartmuseum The name given to the continent originates from the word antarctic, which comes from Middle French antartique or antarctique (' opposite to the Arctic ') and, in turn, the Latin antarcticus (' opposite to the north ').