ARE ALL ANIMALS IN ANTARCTICA CARNIVOROUS?

Most animals you think of are carnivores, but there are a lot of herbivores in Antarctica hidden away. Most Antarctic animals, such as penguins, albatrosses and seals, forage at sea where they eat krill, fish and other penguins and seals. There is little vegetation on the Antarctic continent, but there are two flowering plants, some moss and a lot of lichen and algae. Some insects forage on these. However, all life in Antarctica either lives in, or is tied to, the ocean. In the Southern Ocean, the most abundant animals are krill and salps. These graze on plankton – small free-floating organisms such as algae – so there are probably more species of carnivore than herbivore, but in terms of numbers most animals in Antarctica are actually herbivores.