Antarctica’s biggest land animal is an insect

True terrestrial creatures – species that spend all their lives on dry land – are scarce in Antarctica. The biggest one is a small, wingless midge, which grows 6 mm long. It is also the only insect in Antarctica. Midges live short, hectic adult lives (10 days) in midsummer after two years as larvae under the ice. They protect themselves against the cold by accumulating sugars in their cells that prevent ice formation. The midges are so welladjusted to the cold that they die if temperatures rise above 10 °C.