Do polar bears live in Antarctica? Polar bears live in the Arctic, but not Antarctica. Down south in Antarctica you’ll find penguins, seals, whales and all kinds of seabirds, but never polar bears. Even though the north and south polar regions both have lots of snow and ice, polar bears stick to the north.

Antarctica is important for science because of its profound effect on the Earth’s climate and ocean systems. Locked in its four kilometre-thick ice sheet is a unique record of what our planet’s climate was like over the past one million years.

There has been a steady increase in the numbers of tourists to Antarctica over the last 20 years. Most tourists come to the Antarctic Peninsula. The reasons for the increase in tourist numbers include: The threat of climate change and environmental issues means some tourists want to go to locations before they change.

Antarctica is the world’s highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent. Its record low temperature is -94°C. But it doesn’t actually snow much – the Antarctic is so dry it’s classed as a polar desert. And it’s in darkness part of the year.

There is a quota for the number of tourists that can visit Antarctica in any one season. Trips to Antarctica are now very expensive and exclusive, and there is a ban on all vehicles and helicopters on land. Mass tourism is allowed, including cruises on an increasing number of large ships carrying over 2,000 passengers.

These species, which are frequently found in shallow water, would struggle crossing the deep ocean surrounding the southernmost continent. Thus, no sharks in Antarctica… yet. Antarctic seawater temperatures are on the rise, and with this rise comes new visitors.