Photo used with permission by Goetz Ruhland
Adelie Penguins
Scientific name: Pygoscelis
adeliae
Total length: 27.5 inches
Weight: 11 pounds
Markings are black dorsal feathers, tipped
with blue and a creamy-white belly.
In October, spring in the South Pole Adelies leave the sea
and go to the land this is a hard journey because the area around
the coast is still frozen. They may have to walk up to 62 miles
over the ice. With their short legs it is a long journey so they
throw themselves on the ice and slide on their bellies this is
called tobogganing.
Males are the first to arrive at the nesting grounds. The
older male penguins will immediately re-occupy their customary
nest. The younger penguin males will have to fight for the
nesting places but only when they have reaches the age of six or
seven, will they start nesting for the first time. Once the male
have found a nesting place and made the nest. The nest is very
important to the penguins because if there is not enough pebbles
the heat from the adult will melt the snow around the nest and
the cold will kill the unborn chick. The male will raise his head
to the sky to announce that his is done and is ready for a mate.
Female will came and look over the males and if she finds one she
likes then she will go with him but if she encounters the mate
she had the last year she will go with him.
After 34 days of incubation, the two chicks will hatch.
Than the chicks will be guarded and warmed by one of the parents
for another three weeks. The other parent will be fill their
gullet with kill in the sea to feed the baby. The chicks will
grow larger and more self-sufficient, they will move to a nursery
where they are protected by non-breeding Adelies from skuas while
both the parents are out eating and fill their gullets. Chicks
are feed by their parents no one else.
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