Cool fact…

Mackerel icefish are one of the most common fish species found in the shallower waters of the Kerguelen Plateau and along with Patagonian toothfish, form the basis for a commercial fishery in the region. Icefish are remarkable because they lack haemoglobin or red blood cells, resulting in blood that is an opalescent white/gray in colour, and cream coloured gills, liver and heart.

Plant

Images of the hardy vegetation that braves the harsh conditions to live at Heard Island and McDonald Islands…

Acaena magellanica

Azorella selago and pringlea antiscorbutica

Buttercup (Ranunculus crassipes)

Buzzy burr (Acaena magellanica)

Buzzy burr (Acaena magellanica)

Callitriche antarctica

Closed cushion carpet vegetation

Clumps of the grass Deschampsia antarctica

Clumps of the grass Poa kerguelensis

Colobanthus kerguelensis

Cushion plants (Azorella selago)

Fungus (Scutellinia sp.), a non-vascular plant

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica)

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica)

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) flowers

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) maturing fruits

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) monostand

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) slope

Kerguelen Cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) with maturing fruits

Leaves of the cushion plant Azorella selago

Lichen

Lichen (Xanthoria sp.), a non-vascular plant

Montia fontana

Moss, a non-vascular plant

Moss (Brachythecium sp.)

Mossy feldmark vegetation

Open cushion carpet vegetation

Poa annua

Poa kerguelensis

The newly found daisy, Leptinella plumosa

Tussock Grass (Poa cookii)

Tussock Grass (Poa cookii)

Wet mixed herbfield vegetation

Wet mixed herbfield vegetation

This page was last updated on 28 February 2005.