Fauna of the Riiser-Larsen Sea

This water area has an extremely rich quantitative composition of certain species of fish, marine mammals and pinnipeds.

Most common fish in the Riiser-Larsen Sea

The waters of the Rijeka-Larsen Sea are rich in Channichthyidae and Nototheniidae - the traditional inhabitants of these waters. Notothenia rossi, Pagothenia borchgrevinki, Dissostichus mawsoni, Gobionototothen gibberifrons, Pseudotrematomus eulepidotus, Trematomus nicolai predominate here.

Zooplankton of the Riiser-Larsen Sea

The polar day provides enough solar energy for zooplankton to reproduce in the Riiser-Larsen Sea. Under its influence, single-celled organisms literally fill the top 20 metres of the water. 

Arthropods of the Riiser-Larsen Sea 

The Riiser-Larsen Sea is characterised by large aggregations of krill. In local waters, krill are the main food source for seals, whales, molluscs, octopus and penguins. Krill feed on phytoplankton.

Mammals of the Riiser-Larsen Sea

Mammals include sea leopards, sea elephants and seal. Orcas are the rulers of the depths and coastlines. Sometimes families of whales swim in search of food. There are whales such as the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, humpback whale and others, and seals: Weddell and Crabeater seal.

What sharks can be found in the Riiser-Larsen Sea?

Sharks avoid the cold waters of the Riiser-Larsen Sea. In theory, the Greenland shark could be quite comfortable there, but no one has actually seen it.