Abstract:The megafauna (Greek μεγα: great; Latin fauna: animal life) of Antarctica is defined by absence. Two classes of vertebrates, reptiles and amphibians, are missing from the continent and its surrounding waters, and Antarctica has lacked true land vertebrates since dinosaurs last roamed the continent in the late Cretaceous. The ocean is the foundation of all vertebrate life in Antarctica, and none of its native birds and mammals can survive permanently in the continent's frigid, white interior. Antarctic vertebra… Show more
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