Located at the world’s southernmost point, the world’s greatest, driest, windiest, most frigid, and iciest continent is found at the south pole – Antarctica. Spread over an area of over 14.2 million square kilometers, or 5.5 million square miles. Ninety-eight percent of the land is covered by ice. It is practically hard for the flora and wildlife to flourish in Antarctica due to its severe and harsh environment. Some of the fauna that makes these places so alluring to visitors still lives in the immense horizon of frozen oceans, lone icebergs, and snow-covered deserts .
Due to its location at the South Pole, Antarctica experiences relatively little direct sunshine year-round making it the coldest area in the world. Throughout the year, the average temperature that has been observed is -57 degrees Celsius. When it comes to summer temperatures, the highest recorded temperature is -2 or, fortunately 8 degrees Celsius whereas in the winters the lowest recorded temperature across the continent is -97 degrees Celsius.
Despite the extreme weather and low temperatures that nearly make it impossible for wildlife to live, travelers can still see amazing creatures including blue whales, humpback whales, seals, penguins, large-winged albatrosses, and elephant seals. These creatures have a large layer of fat behind their thick coats, which allows them to survive in this hostile environment. They have an additional layer of fat called blubber that protects them from the cold and gives them better heat insulation. In addition to this, Antarctic creatures are exceptional in hiding from their surroundings through camouflage. The animals’ fur color—their bright undersides and dark backs—provides additional protection. This makes it simpler for predators to keep concealed from prey and vice versa as prey stay hidden from predators. They can blend in with their surroundings, such as the dark sea floor from above or beneath massive icebergs from below.
Depending on what attractions visitors like to see, there is a suitable period to visit Antarctica. If someone asks you, “What is the temperature in Antarctica?”. Many of you will probably remark, “Oh, that’s so simple; even a child can answer that question.” And probably would have said ‘cold’, but what if I told you that due to the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun, there tends to be two distinct seasons: winter and summer.
The continent is encircled by massive icebergs and sheets of ice for six months, that is when you see that the continent is greeting the arrival of winters and preventing visitors from visiting this awe-inspiring place. Winter is also the season when the sun sets far below the horizon, plunging the area into complete darkness. These animals’ migration serves as a persuasive argument against traveling to Antarctica in this prevailing weather conditions.
But as the saying goes, “every cloud has a silver lining”. Antarctica experiences its summer from October to the end of March. Breaking the ice and clearing the path for the family, the summer thus welcome the approach of their old friends such as whales, penguins, seals, and birds. These creatures’ arrival indicates that summer is, in fact, the best time to book an Antarctica cruise.
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