Through my funding by the Australian Antarctic Divsion, I have been conducting research in Antartica as a member of the  Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census as part of my larger project to see how venomous animals have adapted to polar conditions (I am also conducting research in northern Norway).  The two main target taxon are octopus and anemones.  The octopus in particular are proving a rich vein to mine. Their venom enzymes does not differ much from those in the tropics but are exquisitely temperature optimised. Anti-freeze venom!! :)

The biodiversity of the Antarctic waters astounds me. The tropics are always portrayed in documentaries as marine hotspots. They are, of course, much more accessible and amenable for research than Antarctic waters. But the sheer quantity and diversity of life in the Southern Ocean rivals anything I have seen on my expeditions to the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Asia, the Caribbean, or other locations in-between. Two venomous lineages – octopuses and anemones – are particularly very well represented, both in total numbers and species diversity. However, these were but a fraction of the life teeming below.  Below are links to crew photo galleries of representatives of each taxonomical group.