How to Find Edible Food in Antarctica

By Hunter Dufault

Basics of Antarctica
Location: South Pole
Climate: Bitter Cold (-128F)
Vegetation: Rare
Size: 5,400,000 sq/mi

Let's say you wake up in the middle of

Antarctica after you lose track of your
expedition team. After a few days you are
starving to death from the lack of food. You
only have the clothing on your back. You
have to start searching for food or you will
die. At this stage, most people lose hope
because they think there is no life in
Antarctica. They think they're going to die
because there is no way for food to grow or
animals to live in such a harsh environment.

Step 1: Finding Your Way

First of all you have to start searching for the Antarctic Peninsula and
the Barren Grounds because these are the only habitual spots in Antarctica that support life.
Move towards the direction of the ocean that is closest to you. Here, if you do arrive in a
reasonable state you begin your second step....

Step 2: Trying Not to Starve

The search for edible food, you will want
to find Red Antarctic Moss with white rings.
Once you find these put them near your body to
warm them up. If they are warm they will be
edible and have plenty of nutritional value. Next,
look for Antarctic Flora which is a lichen which
can be eaten raw or cooked. There is more
nutritional value in eating the lichen raw than
cooked.

Meat Sounds Good Right?

If you can't find either of those two, try looking for
penguins. This sounds yummy doesn't it? If you do capture
one by being stealthy or rushing toward it than kill it in some
way, you need eat only the red and dark meat of the penguin
not the white meat. You can eat it raw, but you're risking

obtaining illnesses that may lead to death. So, cook it if possible. If

for some reason you can't find any penguins you can look for small
fruits that are usually bright colored ( no specific name ) that look
frosty. There are usually found in canal shaped holes in the snow.
They can be eaten raw along with Arctic Lichen which has less
nutritional value than Antarctic Flora lichen. Sometimes you can
also find abandoned bases that have camps. Food that is left
behind is usually always good because the leftovers or canned
goods are kept frozen until some source of heat cooks them and
rots it depending on what it is.

Even Better! Mites!

If you make it to the ocean, you can kill fish, seals, earthworms, mollusks and mites. You
will find birds on the coast too, but if you don't have a weapon, you're out of luck. If you do end
up killing a bird of some sort, they are all edible cooked or raw, but it's safer to cook them. Some
have gross flavors and some taste like chicken which can be a real treat.
Ernest Shackleton and his group survived there expedition to the South Pole in
1907-1909 to be the first men to reach the South Pole by eating Quaker Oats, tinned meat,
bacon, dried fruit, cocoa, seal steak, penguin liver, boiled seaweed, and tea with sugar. None of
his men died on the entire trip and they did reach the south pole in 1909 living on the foods
listed.

Cool Facts

Antarctica has over 100 species of birds that are edible!

Antarctica has over 2,000 different species of plants, only 35% are edible.
It rains in Antarctica once every year.
Antarctica in the Barren Grounds sometimes reaches 42F
The average coldest temperature Antarctica usually hits is -128.6
The average warmest temperature in Antarctica usually hits is 32F

Sources:
"About Antarctica." Plants of Antarctica. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
"About Antarctica." Land Animals of Antarctica. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
"Antarctica - Pictures, Facts and Travel." Cool Antarctica, Pictures of Antarctica, Facts and
Travel Guide. N.p., n.d.
"Antarctica." Australian Antarctic Division Australia in Antarctica. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015