Top: one of the earliest Adelie penguins to arrive in spring, while there is still sea-ice. The first ones gather all the pebbles they can find to build their nests. They can end up with a pile 50cm high ! Those who come later just steal from their pile, usually while the owner is fighting another thieve on the other side.
Right: animated sequence showing an adult feeding his chick.
Left: an Adelie penguin on his nest, at sunset.
Size: 75 cm
Weight: 3 to 6.5 kg
Distribution: continent and Antarctic islands
Reproduction areas on the archipelago: all the main islands
The Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is the most common of all penguins in Antarctica. They nest near the shore in groups of 6 to 100s called rookeries.
There were tens of thousands of them in the vicinity of Dumont d'Urville, even under the buildings of the base !
Protection
World population: estimated to 2 million couples.
Archipelago's population: 29 182 couples in 84, 30 369 in 90.
Threats: none. Population in slight increase (1% a year) almost everywhere, but colonies near bases tend to be stable or decrease (McMurdo).
Care: do not cross colonies. Do not capture them nor their chicks.
Research
Study of the 3000 couples dislodged by the construction of the airstrip. 2000 penguins were tagged in 89-90-91 and are being followed.
Size: 120 cm.
Weight: 20 to 45 kg.
Distribution: Antarctic coasts.
Reproduction areas on the archipelago: one single colony on the ice-shelf between Carrel Island and the nunatak.
Above: Emperor penguins arriving in a single column in autumn, on a barely frozen ocean.
Right: Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes Forsteri) chick asking for food. It starts by going 'Piu!', 'Piu!' with a head motion from front to back. Then when the adult looks down, the chick touches its beak which triggers a feeding reflex
Biology
Arrival: April
Egg laying: May
Hatching: July, 62~66 days of incubation at 31°C in an environment that can go down to -60°C.
Departure of chicks: December-January
Food: squid and fish
Distribution at sea: stays near the ice
Particularity: after the laying, males take care of the sitting. During their 4 months fasting they loose half their weight (20kg). In order to minimize heat loss, the males gather together in 'turtles' that can be as dense as 10 individuals/m² during storms. After August, both partners take care of the only chick, recognized by its voice, taking turns at sea every 2 weeks (or more if the sea-ice is very extended).
They breed during Antarctica's harshest season, so that when their young become independent, five months later, the climate will be more favorable. Emperors are the most unfaithful of all penguins: 78 percent of mating pairs go their separate ways after only one year !
Left: An exceptional picture of two emperor penguins mating. They do it only once a year, and it lasts less than 10 seconds. They mate in autumn, shortly before the coldest time of the year. Since there are more females than males, the lonely females try to interfere with mating couples. Male and females look exactly alike, with a slight average difference in weight, and a difference in voice (females have a higher pitch). But during mating season you can sometimes tell the females by the footprints on their back...
bravenet.com