We will never know by what quirk of fate or continental drift the emperor penguin ended up in Antarctica. What we do know is that Antarctica is one of the most difficult places for organisms to inhabit. According to the CIA world fact book, 98% of Antartica's 14 million sq. kilometres is ice, the other 2% is barren rock. If this doesn't seem difficult enough for life, the average winter temperature is a frigid -55 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature ever recorded was -89.6 degrees Celsius (at this temperature steel will snap). The annual precipitation seldom totals in excess of 5cm, making Antartica the world's largest desert. In the winter severe blizzards may last a week with winds of 370km/h. These severe winds are caused by downdrafts of cold air and are called katatic winds.
It is not a surprise, therefore, to learn that the land ecosystem is primitive. This is due to the extreme conditions of cold and drought that exist throughout the Antartic continent. Yet even here life flourishes in surprising diversity. Over 400 species of lichens and 85 species of mosses have been found living here. However, there are only two hardy species of flowering plants found in this primitive ecosystem. To survive here life must be tough, hardy and cold resistant. Most lichens live in cracks in rocks; a few species can even survive INSIDE rocks where they are protected from the dry, biting wind. There are no vertebrates in Antarctica and the largest land inhabitant (year round) is the 12mm long midge.
By contrast the seas around Antarctica provide a much more attractive habitat for would-be inhabitants. However, the sea too has its downsides, with the temperature under the sea ice hovering at around 0 degrees Celsius, all animals must adapt to the cold. There are two major currents that affect life in the seas around Antartica, the prevailing circumpolar current moving east and the counter current which moves west. It is the circumpolar current which creates the great storms that rage all round Antartica.
However, ocean inhabitants range from krill to the huge humback whale. Every summer, fed by rich ocean currents, the plankton bloom causing the krill population to increase. This in turn stimulates the rest of the aquatic ecosystem resulting in an abundance of fish and other smaller creatures. As described in the reproduction section it is this bloom of food that is the key to the emperor penguin's breeding strategy. Many species of seals and sealions use the island surrounding the coast of Antartica as breeding beachs. There are also a great number of other species of penguins on the Antartic continent; one of the most notable being the King Penguin that is the closest in size to the Emperor.