• Krill

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  Krill facts and information:

  Type: Invertebrate
  Diet: Herbivore
  Average lifespan in the wild: 5 years or more
  Size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
  Weight: 0.035 oz (1 g)
  Group name: Swarm
  Did you know? Scientists estimate that the total weight of all the Antarctic krill is more than the total weight of all humans on Earth.

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  What does krill look like?

  The lowly krill averages only about two inches (five centimeters) in length, but it represents a giant-sized link in the global food chain. These small, shrimp-like crustaceans are essentially the fuel that runs the engine of the Earth’s marine ecosystems.

• Krill video.
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  Where do krill live?

  Antarctic krill can live up to 10 years, an amazing longevity for such a heavily hunted creature. They spend their days avoiding predators in the cold depths of the Antarctic Ocean, some 320 feet (100 meters) below the surface. During the night, they drift up the water column toward the surface in search of phytoplankton.
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  What does a krill eat?

  Krill feed on phytoplankton, microscopic, single-celled plants that drift near the ocean’s surface and live off carbon dioxide and the sun’s rays. They in turn are the main staple in the diets of literally hundreds of different animals, from fish, to birds, to baleen whales. Simply put, without krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear.
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  What are the biggest Krill?

  Pink and opaque, Antarctic krill are among the largest of the 85 known krill species. Their estimated numbers range from 125 million tons to 6 billion tons in the waters around Antarctica. During certain times of year, krill congregate in swarms so dense and widespread that they can be seen from space.

• Krill images

  
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