Courtesy of Jean Pennycook

From: Jean Pennycook
Ross Sea, December 23, 2008

A Crack in Their World

The world of Adelie Penguins is the world of ice. This year their walk to the edge of it for food has taken a toll on the colony, almost half the nests have failed. But a wonderful event has just occurred. About 2 miles from the colony a large crack has opened up. Two meters wide and several miles long, the penguins are enjoying an abundance of food on foraging trips which now take 2 hours rather than 2 days. The chicks are getting fat and life is better. Inside the crack the penguins swim in groups and then dive together under the ice looking for food. What happens under the ice we do not know, but we do know they come up with full bellies as they start the return trip to their nests at Cape Royds. For more pictures and stories go to Penguin Science.

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Postcards from the Field: Adelie Penguins 2008

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