Rich Animal Diversity Found on Antarctic Islands

New research has found that the Antarctic islands are home to a greater diversity of species than the Galapagos. According to a report by NewScientist,

The first comprehensive biodiversity survey of the South Orkney Islands, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, has revealed that they are home to more species of sea and land animals than the Galapagos.

The findings raise the issue of what sort of impact climate change – already hitting the Antarctic hard – will have on this rich biodiversity.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Hamburg, Germany, carried out the survey using a combination of trawl nets, sampling as deep as 1500m, and scuba divers. The team found over 1200 species, a third of which were not thought to live in the region. They also identified five new species.

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