Answers for Mrs. Nosakowski's First Grade Science Classes

Mrs. Nosakowski's First Grade Science Classes asked:

We have been studying insects in first grade science! We have been discussing common insects that are found here in the U.S. but are wondering what insects can be found in Antarctica? Can you share with us some cool facts?

Hi Mrs. Nosakowski's First Grade Science Class!  Thanks for the questions.  Insects are some of my favorite organisms to study, but there are not very many in Antarctica.  The only insects in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, where I work, are Collembola (a.k.a. spring tails).

Image from http://46.18.32.69/~doehetzelf/images/rusek/2002/Cryptopygus-antarcticus-2002-Josef-Rusek-Fig1A-l.jpg

These are tiny microscopic insects that live on moss mats when there is flowing water in the Antarctic summer.  I haven't seen any of these in person, but I have been looking.  When I first took an entomology course (entomology is the study of insects) these guys were considered true insects, but I think that may have changed in the past few years.  The only other insects that live in Antarctica are midges (the family Chironomidae, see this link), which live on the Palmer Penninsula, which is the part of Antarctica that sticks out toward South America.  This part of Antarctica is further north and a little warmer than where I work.

Image from http://www.scarmarbin.be/photo_gallery.php?album=514&pic=10902

You can find both spring tails and midges in Michigan, but they are different species than those that live in Antarctica.  Sometimes you can find springtails hopping around in the snow.  They look like fleas, and are sometimes called snow fleas, but they are not fleas.  Midges look like mosquitoes, but they don't bite.

The only other "animals" that live in the Dry Valleys are very small (microscopic) animals like mites, water bears, and round worms.  These things all live in the soil and they can survive the harsh winters by becoming dormant during the cold months.