We have been learning about animals in Antarctica. Here are some Information Reports for you to read. Please leave a comment.

Text type: Information report

Purpose: To give information

Audience: 5/6J and visitors 

Leopard Seals

Introduction

Leopard seals or Hydruga Leaptonyx (scientific name) are one of the most feared seals on the Earth. They are feared as they have a ferocious reputation towards animals.

Appearance

Leopard seals are one of the top predators in Antarctic waters. They belong to the mammal family and live up to 12- 15 years of age. When fully grown, they have a body which is 2.5-3.2m long and weigh about 200kg. Their front teeth are sharp like the ones of carnivores. Leopard seals are called this because they have black spots on their neck. Leopard seals are generally silver/ grey in colour.

Habitat

Leopard seals mainly live in the Antarctic waters and sub- Antarctic waters. They are mainly solitary (lives alone) animals. They only come to together in the breeding season to breed.

Diet

Leopard seals mainly feed upon smaller seals, penguins, fish and krill. Their main predators are sharks and whales.

Reproduction

Leopard seals are solitary animals so little is known of how they reproduce. Female leopard seals of six years or more give birth to a single pup on ice packs during November after a nine month pregnancy.

By James

 

Text type: Information Report

Purpose: To inform the reader

Audience: 5/6J and visitors

Colossal Squid

 

Introduction

The colossal squid also known as Antarctic and giant cranch squid, often confused with the giant squid, is a very rare but amazing animal. Only three have ever been found alive in the wild and twenty-three have been found all together. Due to it being so rare, very little is known about the colossal squid. The last colossal squid was found in one piece but dead in Victoria, Australia 2012.

Classification

The colossal squid is a part of the Cephalopoda class which includes squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and nautilus. Its scientific name is mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis.

Appearance

The colossal squid has maroon coloured skin. It has a large stabilizing fin on its head. It has the largest eyes in the entire animal kingdom. It has eight arms and two feeding tentacles. Each arm has two rows of suckers used to attaching itself to its prey and other objects. The colossal squid weighs about 495 kilograms and is twelve to fourteen metres in length.

Diet

The colossal squid is known to eat large species of fish and other squid. Due to its large size, the colossal squid has no trouble attacking and consuming their prey. It only takes them several minutes to consume large fish.

Predators

Sperm whales are the only known predator to the colossal squid. Many remains of the colossal squid (mainly their beaks) have been found inside the sperm whale’s stomach.

Habitat

Colossal squids (and their remains) have been found around Argentina, South Africa,  Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica/Southern Ocean, South Georgia Island and South Sandwich Islands.

 

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproductive cycle for the colossal squid due to only females have been found alive. All squids lay eggs so the colossal squid most likely does as well. The giant squid lays jelly-like bundles of eggs, scientists believe that the colossal squid does the same.

Conclusion

The colossal squid is a very mysterious animal. Many scientists are hoping to find more live colossal squids to help the squids to survive and drive them away from extinction. Scientists will continue to research and uncover the colossal squid’s secrets.

Charlotte G

 

 

Emperor Penguin

Introduction Emperor Penguins are the largest kind of penguin in the world.

 Appearance Male and female Emperor penguins are quite similar in size. They can reach 122cm tall and can weigh anywhere from 22 to 45 kg. The front part of an Emperor penguin is all white. A little section in the throat is yellow. The back of the penguin is black and its face is black. They are called emperor penguins because they are the king of the penguin species. Their scientific name is Aptenodytes Forsteri.

Diet Emperor Penguin’s diet consists of mainly fish. They can also eat krill and other crustaceans. They can eat squid too. The emperor penguin dives to around 50 metres where it can see the fish and then swims up to the bottom of the ice and catches the fish. The penguin does this over and over before coming up to the surface to breath.

Habitat Emperor Penguins live in Antarctica. They live on land but get their food from the water.

Predators Some of the Emperor Penguins predators are the southern giant petrel which is responsible for 34% of the chick’s deaths. The only predators that attacks heathy adults are leopard seals whose scientific name is Hydrurga leptonyx and the Orcas which  mostly take adult Emperor penguins, but will take any aged bird if in the water or close to the water.

Breeding Emperor Penguins are able to breed when they are three years old. The breeding season starts in March and April when all mature penguins travel to colonial nesting areas. The temperature can be as low as -40c. The Emperor Penguin’s egg is pear shaped and weighs 460 – 470g. The colour of the egg is greenish white. After the female lays the egg she gives it to the male who has to sit on it to keep it warm, for two months.

Interesting facts The first person to ever see an Emperor penguin was Johann Reinhold Forster, who first saw the Emperor penguins in 1773 – 1774. He was with Captain Cook on his second voyage. Forster wrote about seeing a different kind of penguin but because of where he was when he saw it, people think it was probably an Emperor penguin.

Early research showed that Emperor Penguins can dive 265m deep in water for 18 minutes. Later research found a small female went 535m deep near McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.

Hayden Mottley

 

The Rock Hopper Penguin

Introduction:

 Rockhopper penguins the scientific name is Eudyptes Chrysocome. The rockhopper penguin likes jumping over rocks to get about, rather than sliding around on their bellies. There are three different kinds of rockhopper penguins which are the western rockhopper penguin, the eastern rockhopper penguin and the northern rockhopper penguin.

Appearance:

Rockhopper penguins weigh up to 2.3kg to 2.7kg. The Rockhopper penguin is the smallest of their family (the Crest Family). Males are larger than females. They have yellow, orange and black feathers sticking outwards from their head. The rock hopper penguin looks like the macaroni penguin and the royal penguin from the crested family as well.

Habitat/location:

The rock hopper penguin is the most widespread of their family. Rock hopper penguins are found on islands around and near Antarctica that are in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the southern ocean. The rock hopper penguin’s habitat is on rocky slopes and caves on sub-Antarctic islands.    

Diet:

Rock hopper penguins are carnivores so they eat small crustaceans, krill, squid and different types of fish. Rock hopper penguins can be at sea for days catching food and diving deep for minutes at time. Their diet changes as they migrate to different places.

Reproduction: 

Rock hopper penguins lay two eggs. Normally one of the eggs hatches. The second egg laid is bigger than the first egg. The first egg is usually taken by a predator before it even hatches. The parents take turns taking care of the egg.

Conclusion:

The rockhopper penguins are amongst the most numerous on the planet but their population is on rapid decline due to commercial fishing, pollution and other factors. penguins numbers have been cut by ninety percent.   

by Anna

 

Killer Whales

Introduction:

Killer whales are the biggest in the dolphin family. They are apex predators which mean they have no natural predators. They are really amazing sea creatures.

Appearance:

Killer whales are black and white and sometimes white and medium grey. Killer whales can weigh up to 11 tons and there size is 28ft. They belong to the  mammal classification of animals. Their scientific name is orca.

Diet:

A Killer whales diet contains many things. They eat fish, squid, sharks, sea lions, penguins, dolphins and sometimes large whales and grey white sharks sometimes.

Reproduction:

Every 5 years a killer can raise up to 4 pups after they turn 21 years old.

Life span:

Killer whales can live from 50 to 80 years old.

Habitat/ Location:

Killer whales live in all seas and oceans but are mostly found in Antarctica.

Facts:

Killer whales can stay under water for 20 minutes

Killer whales are less commonly known as the blackfish or grampus.

Conclusion:

This is why I love Killer whales and I think that everybody should learn about them. Don’t hate these sea creatures just because of their name. They are not killers just because they haven the word killer in their name.

Dallas Owen

                                                The Snow Petrel

 The scientific name is Pagodroma Nivea.

Appearance

The snow petrel is a pure white bird and is about the same size as a pigeon. It has dark eyes, a small black beak and bluish greyish feet.

Habitat

Although snow petrels are restricted to Antarctic waters they are commonly found in areas with pack ice and ice bergs.

Diet

The snow petrel mainly feeds on squid, fish and krill. It also feeds on carcasses of dead seals, whales and penguins.

Reproduction

Snow petrels lay only one white egg between November to December. The egg is incubated for 41-49 days. When born the chick remains in the nest for seven weeks.

Predators

The predators of the snow petrels are the South Polar Skuas.

by Shantara




 

Text Type: Information Report

Purpose: To give Information

Audience: 5/6J and visitors

California Sea Lions

Introduction

California Sea Lions (ZALOPHUS CALIFORNAINUS) are a magnificent type of species they can even swim faster than there predator and escape easily and they can risk a lot of things that are very critical conditions. They are mostly found in Northern Antarctica. Their class is Mammalia.

Habitat

They live in Northern Antarctica, Mexico, Canada, and Baja California. Maybe sometimes near Asia or China.

 Diet

California sea lions are predators that obtain all their food from the sea. They feed on more than 50 species of fishes and other marine species and creatures.

Reproduction

California sea lions tend to breed on the same section year after year. Sea lions generally favour sections on the windward side of islands.

Appearance

Males are approximately 2.4m and 350 kg. Females are 1.8m and weigh 100kg. They have light grey skin. They moult in autumn and spring.  Females weigh 85–160 kg and pups weigh 7–8 kg at birth. They are the fastest of the seals and the sea lions.

Interesting Fact:  The amount of California Sea Lions population doubled from 1965.
By Garv

Text type: information report

Purpose: to inform the reader

Audience: Mrs J

 

Adelie Penguin

Introduction: The Adelie penguin (Aptenodytes adelia) is one of Antarctica’s species of penguin.  

Appearance:

The Adelie penguin is the smallest penguin in Antarctica. They have quite a small beak and quite small feet. They are 70cm tall and they weigh 5kg. The Adelie penguin is the most easily identifiable penguin species.

Habitat: Breeding colonies are formed next to the open sea, on ice-free areas of exposed rock around the Antarctic coastline. The Adelie penguin lives south of Antarctica

Diet: Their main food is Antarctic krill, ice krill, Antarctic silver fish, sea krill, glacial squid, shrimp like krill and fishes. The Adelie penguin eats similar things to other penguins.

Reproduction: The Adelie penguin is the second most southerly breeding penguin species. The Adelie penguin like other oviparous animals they lay eggs instead of giving live birth. The female penguin lays eggs every couple of days apart in the breading season.

Defence: When being harmed Adelie penguins usually stay in groups to defend themselves. The baby penguins tend to fall victim to Skuas and Giant Petrels.

Chelsea

Snow Petrel

Snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) are one of the most beautiful birds with feathers as white as snow and eyes as black as coal. They will sometimes have yellow marks on them. Snow petrels live near the northern waters.

Habitats
 Snow petrels live in large crevasses or cracked rocks near the northern waters. Snow petrel does not migrate but commonly go on long flights. 
Defences
Snow petrels use a type of foul smelling krill-oil which works like a shield against predators, they also spray it near their homes for protection against their eggs. It is also a rich food source for their children and themselves.
Diet
Snow petrel eats mainly fish for example squid, molluscs, krill euphausiids, and seal placenta, the carcasses of dead seals, whales and penguins.
Predators
South polar Skuas are major predators of  snow petrel, but severe weather conditions, especially heavy snow that blocks nest entrances, may cause adults to abandon their eggs or chicks to starve. Egg mortality is approximately 50% while chick mortality is typically 10–15%.                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Appearance
Snow petrels are an all-white, small petrel with conspicuous dark eyes, small black bill and bluish-grey feet. There are two subspecies of snow petrel that differ only in size.
by Raymond

Crabeater Seal

Scientific name:

The Crabeater seal scientific name is Lobodon carcinophagus.

Colour:

The crabeaters colour of skin is silver grey because it helps them camouflage in with the ice.

Diet:

Crabeater seals only eat krill and they eat a huge amount of it because krill are only small crustacean.

Weight:

Crabeater seals weigh 200 to 400kg for an adult but a pup only weighs 20 to 30 kg.

Length:

Crabeater seals are 2.5 m long for adults and 1.2 m for a new born pup.

Life time:

The only known recorded life time of a Crabeater seal is forty years.

Reproduction:

The mother Crabeater seal will only have one pup every pregnancy and after 3-4 week old the pup will wean form late September til early November.

Predators: The only known predators of seals are Killer whales and Leopard seals.

Karl   Adelie Penguins Introduction: Adelie penguins are the smallest type of Antarctic penguin. These penguins are most closely related to the Chinstrap  penguins and Gentoo penguin. Adelie penguins are sadly near threatened due to the actions of human kind. This puts the Adelie penguins population into a mere 2,370,000. Amazingly they are able to slow their heart rate from 80-100 to a slow 20 beats. Appearance Adelie penguins are a mid-sized from 46 to 71cm. They have a few distinctive marks such as the long tail, red beak and white ring around the eyes. Their lifespan is about 20 years and they have a wingspan of about  35-70cm. Diet: The Adelie penguin's diet is mostly consisted of krill, fish and krill are consumed if they can catch them. A common mistake is that most people think that penguins eat fish! Adult Adelie penguins need about 4-6g of food per meal and chicks need 2-3g per meal. Reproduction:  Adelie penguins breeding season is around October and February. Adelie penguins are partners for life and sadly if the partner dies the other one must find another one. That does not really happen often. Usually two eggs are laid and most of the times both survive. The other egg usually is taken by predators or sudden death. Once the chicks leave they do not return until 3-5 years later, when they are ready to breed. Brian Guan 56J     Killer whales Killer whales also known as orca's are the largest in the dolphin family and can grow up to 28ft. Average killer whales can weigh up to 11 short tons. They are apex predators of the ocean which means that they have no natural predators. It's scientific name is Orcinus Orca   Appearance All Killer whales are black and white but some have bigger or more defined features. There are 4 types of killer whales. Type A,B,C and D. Type A, has a large body and a large white eyepatch. This type feeds mostly on mink whales. Type B, is smaller than type A, but has a larger eye patch. This type feeds mostly on seals. Type C, is the smallest and lives in larger groups than the others. It's eyepatch is distinctively slanted forwards. Type D, has the smallest eyepatch out of all 4 types of killer whales. This type of Orca, has a shorter dorsal fin and smaller teeth.   Habitat   Killer whales live in oceans all over the world but are mostly found in Antarctica. Their types vary from different regions as some places might not have as much seals or whales for prey.   Reproduction   Killer whales reproduce every 5 years after they turn 21. Killer whales live up to 40 years on average so they averagely give birth to about 4 cubs.   Diet   Orcas eat a wide range of animals such as fish, squid, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, large whales and sometimes sharks. Their diets vary from one region to another.   Life span   Orcas can live up to 80 years old. The oldest one ever recorded was 80   Interesting facts Killer whales can stay underwater for 20 minutes. Killer whales sometimes push penguins off icebergs into the water and will when prey is hard to catch, they will make big waves to temporarily stun their prey. Conclusion Orcas are large and amazing creatures and should not be misjudged by their fearsome name. They are completely harmless if they are not tempered with. Mitchel