Extreme Animals in Extreme Environments

The Arctic and Antarctica are two of the most extreme environments in the world. They are freezing cold, wind-blown, lip-cracking dry, and pitch-black for half of the year, but despite these extreme conditions, many magnificent animals call these icy worlds home. Scientists have been amazed and curious about how animals survive in such extremely cold places with limited food. To find out, they have been traveling to the icy worlds to study these extreme animals. Their hard work has revealed incredible findings.

Exploring the desert is an unforgettable experience. Most days there is not a cloud to shade the blazing sun. Within minutes, exposed skin shows signs of sunburn. Even the sunlight reflected from the ground damages the skin. Hundreds of animal species live in the desert, big and small. How do they survive with so little water, the extreme heat, and a limited, and sometimes toxic, food supply? Author Ana Maria Rodríguez explores many of the amazing animals in this extreme environment.

How does a blind fish find food? Can a giant centipede eat a bat for dinner? Caves are home to unique and bizarre creatures. Cave dwelling animals have found amazing ways to survive in complete darkness. Although the food supply is low and the environment can be toxic, many species thrive in the darkest caves. Author Ana Maria Rodríguez explores these remarkable creatures and how they survive in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

The ocean is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. The deepest ocean zones challenge animal survival in unique ways. When light and warmth totally disappear, when pressure can crush most bodies, and when food is extremely rare, how do deep-sea animals cope? Scientists have sent remotely operated vehicles to the sea floor to capture images and videos of these amazing creatures in hopes of answering these questions. Their expeditions have revealed amazing information about extreme deep-sea animals.