Exploring Nature’s Short Answer Quiz
Read the Essay Online or Print it Out and Take the Short Answer Quiz
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Antarctica
Range: Antarctica is the continent found on the most southern part of the earth. It includes the South Pole and is
surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
Habitat: It is the coldest place on earth with temperature dipping down to 130 degrees below zero F. The wind
along the coast can blow fiercely. It is also considered the driest place on earth even though most of it is covered
by a sheet of ice a mile and a half thick. There is very little snowfall and most of that is on the coastline where
it can fall very heavily, very quickly. The interior of the continent is really a frozen desert. This is a strange fact
considering scientists believe the Antarctic ice sheets hold about 90% of the earth’s fresh water. There are even
lakes that have been discovered deep under the ice. It has a mountain range called the Transantarctic Mountains
that divide the continent into Eastern and Western Antarctica. The tallest mountain in Antarctica is over 16,000
feet tall. There are even a few active volcanoes. Though many people visit Antarctica as tourists and researchers, no humans are native to the continent.
Animals: Many animals live in Antarctica including emperor penguins, adelie penguins, rockhopper penguins,
king penguins, chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, fur seals, leopard seals, Weddell seals, elephant seals, albatross, petrels, blue whales, killer whales and krill.
Plants: There are few plants on Antarctica. Only mosses and liverworts can survive the severe cold and dry
conditions. There are also some lichens, fungi and algae on the continent.
Exploring Nature’s Short Answer Quiz
Read the Essay Online or in Print and Take the Short Answer Quiz
Short Answer Quiz
Antarctica
From your reading, fill in the short answers
about Antarctia, label the animals (below),
then color in Antarctia on the map (right).
Exploring Nature’s Short Answer Quiz
Read the Essay Online or Print it Out and Take the Short Answer Quiz
Short Answer Quiz
Antarctica
Range: Antarctica is the continent found on the most southern part of the earth. It includes the South
____________ and is surrounded by the Southern ______________________.
Habitat: It is the coldest place on earth with temperature dipping down to 130 degrees below zero F. The
______________ along the coast can blow fiercely. It is also considered the driest place on earth even though
most of it is covered by a sheet of __________ a mile and a half thick. There is very little snowfall and most of
that is on the coastline where it can fall very heavily, very quickly. The interior of the continent is really a frozen
______________________. This is a strange fact considering scientists believe the Antarctic ice sheets hold
about 90% of the earth’s fresh ____________________. There are even lakes that have been discovered deep
under the ice. It has a mountain range called the Transantarctic Mountains that divide the continent into Eastern
and Western Antarctica. The tallest mountain in Antarctica is over 16,000 feet tall. There are even a few active
___________________________. Though many people visit Antarctica as tourists and researchers, no humans
are native to the continent.
Animals: Many animals live in Antarctica including ________________________ penguins, adelie penguins,
rockhopper penguins, king penguins, chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, fur seals, ______________________
seals, Weddell seals, elephant seals, albatross, petrels, ______________ whales, _____________________
whales and krill.
Plants: There are few plants on Antarctica. Only _________________ and liverworts can survive the severe
cold and dry conditions. There are also some ________________________, fungi and algae on the continent.
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