Meet the toughest resident of the frozen south. Belgica antarctica, the Antarctic midge, is the only insect native to the Antarctic continent. It is also the largest purely terrestrial animal in Antarctica, even though it is only about 6 millimeters long. To survive the extreme cold, this flightless midge has some incredible biological tricks. It can lose up to 70 percent of its body water and still survive, and it spends about 99 percent of its two-year life cycle as a larva, frozen in the ice.
1:35
Meet the toughest resident of the frozen south. Belgica antarctica, the Antarctic midge, is the only insect native to the Antarctic continent. It is also the largest purely terrestrial animal in Antarctica, even though it is only about 6 millimeters long. To survive the extreme cold, this flightless midge has some incredible biological tricks. It can lose up to 70 percent of its body water and still survive, and it spends about 99 percent of its two-year life cycle as a larva, frozen in the ice.
374 views3 months ago
TikTokbugswithmike
See more
Static thumbnail place holder