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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