Antarctica has more animals than the Galapagos

The Antarctic island group's first list of marine and land animals shows that this area has more species than the Galapagos. This study provides an important benchmark for controlling animal response to future environmental changes.

In Biogeography magazine this week, a research team from the British Antarctic survey program and the University of Hamburg described the process of scouring land and sea at the South Orkeny Islands, near the beginning of the Antarctic Peninsula. , with divers carrying compressed air cylinders and drums to collect animals at a depth of 1500 meters.

Then the number of animals found was compared with the data in the last century, and the team concluded that there are more than 1200 species of marine and land animals not yet known. This includes sea urchins, worms, crustaceans and mollusks, and some birds. 5 of these are completely new to science.

Birds cut off Chinstrap. (Photo: BAS)

The main author, Dr. David Barnes of the British Antarctic Survey Program (BAS), said : 'This is the first time a comprehensive list of polar area animals has been made. This is part of the Marine Life Statistics Program (COML) - an international effort to assess and explain the diversity and distribution of marine life. For the purpose of understanding these animals 'reactions to future environmental changes, this is an important first step.'

Stefanie Kaiser of the University of Hamburg said: 'We do not know that there are so many different animals around these islands. The rich life here is a totally unexpected thing, since the polar region has always been judged to be poor in biodiversity. '

The study, consisting of 23 scientists from 5 academies, lasted for 7 weeks on BAS's research vessel James Clark Ross.