Antarctic Krill

What Antarctic krill lack in size (they are usually just a few centimeters long), they make up for in sheer abundance. These shrimp-like crustaceans are so numerous, they play a vital role in supporting ocean food webs and feed many Antarctic inhabitants like whales, penguins, seals, seabirds, and squid. With ice algae as their primary food source, krill populations in the southern waters near Antarctica have declined hand-in-hand with receding sea ice. Krill spawning cycles depend on the abundance of ice algae. An early retreat of sea ice may cause females to delay reproduction or skip it entirely, causing ripples up and down the ocean food chain.

Scientific name: Euphausia superba
IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated
Region: Antarctic, Oceans