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Other Seabirds
There are twenty-four other seabirds besides the penguin that can survive in the harsh cold of the Antarctic.
These seabirds breed along the coast since they are equipped for grabbing food from the sea, similar to the penguin.
However they can all fly unlike the penguin.
Among these shorebirds are the brown skua, the wandering albatross, the blue-eyed cormorant, the giant petrel, and the Dominican Gull.
There are an additional twelve species of birds that live in Antarctica but they live either inland or in shallow water.
Most of these birds are scavengers, stealing penguin eggs and attacking helpless penguin chicks.
Among these land birds are the wattled sheathbill, the South Georgia pintail, and the South Georgia pipit.
The Seals
Another mascot of Antarctica is the seal.
Out of the six seals living in Antarctica five are considered "true" seals because they are "earless."
However, they're hearing is quite good both in the water and on land.
These five species are the Weddel, Ross, leopard, crabeater and elephant.
The fur seal is the last specie.
It has a "visible" ear.
It also has longer flippers than the other making it easier to get around on land and in water.
Seals have blubber and fur to keep them warm.
The Weddel seal lives farther south than any of the others.
They have an amazing ability in diving and can dive up to 2000 feet into the water.
The Ross seal is the rarest in Antarctica as well as the smallest.
The leopard seal is the most fierce.
They are dangerous predators and often live near the coast where they can catch their prey which is most likely to be a penguin.
The crabeater is the most common seal both in Antarctica and on the earth.
Elephant seals are the largest of the seals.
They get their name from their "trunk" which is used to scare off other males or to attract females.
They eat only fish and squid.
And also the males are bigger than the females unlike most seal species.
The fur seal has a thick coat of fur.
They almost became extinct from being hunted in previous centuries.
Only now they are making a comeback.
And Whales
Whales are also found in Antarctica as well.
There are several species making their home in Antarctica.
The whales are split into two groups.
Baleen, which is a bristly substance found in the mouth for filtering food such as krill, and Toothed.
The Blue Whale (a baleen) is supposedly the largest creature to ever live on earth.
The Sperm Whale is the largest of the toothed whales.
And the largest carnivore is the orca, or killer whale.
It is also one of the most intelligent creatures too.
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