The survivors

Compared to the rich and diverse megaherbivore guild of 10 million years ago, the current guild is significantly depleted but has maintained a similar structure. Several megafaunal species of the past have left at least one descendant. Some have become smaller to cope with the limited environment, while others have grown larger to fill vacant niches and due to the lack of large predators. Most of these species are located in the Follia Plateau, the only truly functional ecosystem that does not act merely as a refugium. Herbivore density reaches its peak on the western coast of the Follia Plateau, where four species of "mega" herbivores reside.

At its peak, the trample steppe could sustain a megafauna biomass of over 10 tons per square kilometer; now, the highest record in the Follia Plateau is just 4 tons. Still, this is enough to maintain a productive and functional ecosystem and contribute to the carbon sink effect. The most productive areas are found on the eastern coast, where the ocean mitigates cold temperatures. The internal parts tend to be less hospitable, gradually trending towards an unproductive moss tundra.

These surviving animals are flagship species, a living memory of what Antarctica once was. However, their legacy is slowly fading with the relentless ice expansion.
Nobody is spared from this white hell: the past of Antarctica showed it clearly.