Antarctica has 145;more species146; than Galapagos

Antartica has more species than the Galapagos, a new study has revealed.Researchers in Europe have carried out what they claim is the first comprehensive 8220;inventory8221; of sea and land animals in the white continent and found a region that8217;s not only rich in biodiversity but has more species than the Galapagos.

Using a combination of trawl nets, sampling as deep as 1500 metres and scuba divers, a team from British Antarctic Survey and Hamburg University in Germany found 1,200 species, a third of which were not thought to live in the region. These include sea urchins, free-swimming worms, mites, crustaceans, molluscs and birds. And, the researchers also identified five new species, the latest issue of Journal of Biogeography reported.