“Little Men” of the Antarctic
By “Awake!” correspondent in Uruguay
“AHOY, I see two ‘little men’ on that iceberg,” shouted a crewman. As these explorers of the Antarctic drew closer, another look through their binoculars showed five “little men.” Soon there were seven. But those early explorers were in for a surprise when they learned that those “little men” were really penguins. As for the penguins, they kept leaping out of the frigid water onto ice floes to get a better look at the strange creatures invading their icy domain.
Penguins are to the Antarctic what polar bears are to the Arctic. Not all penguins are the same, however, and each kind has its own peculiarities and habits that make it different from the others.
The largest and most impressive of all are the emperor penguins, weighing about 40 kg (90 lbs.) each and standing nearly 120 cm (4 ft.) tall. They breed and hatch their young under the most forbidding circumstances of any known creature—with temperatures below −55° C. (−67° F.) in constant gales and severe blizzards.
The female lays only one egg. Then the male and the female take turns holding the egg on their feet, tucked in under a blanket made up of folds of skin that hang down from the body. While one cares for the egg, the other one goes to sea to feed. When the mate returns and the egg is transferred from one to the other, great care is shown so that it does not touch the ice on which they stand.
For protection against the fierce winds in their domain, cooperation is needed. So large numbers of emperor penguins huddle together. And periodically they shift positions so that the same birds are not always bearing the brunt of the blizzard on the outside of the circle.
The Adélie penguin also lives on Antarctica, but it is much smaller than the emperor, and its rookeries are separate from theirs. This one is the clown of the penguin family. It is very curious and its antics are comical, especially the way in which it waddles—Charlie Chaplin-style.
Like other penguins, their tongues have sharp barbs turned inward. How practical when a fish is caught for dinner! With its head pointed down the penguin’s throat, it can go in only one direction.
Several of these penguins have been taken great distances from their rookeries so their navigational abilities can be studied. As is true of other birds, the Creator has endowed them with a built-in system of navigation. It seems to rely mainly on the sun. When it is cloudy, they wander around as if uncertain as to which way to go. But when the sun is visible, they immediately get oriented and head in the right direction to reach home.
On the Falkland Islands, or Malvinas Islands, there are several species of penguins. Close to Port Stanley tall gentoo penguins come ashore to breed.
From the nearby beach of York Bay, we can watch these “little men” arrive at their rookery. They have just spent months at sea, traveling thousands of miles in search of food and playing in the chilly waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. As we watch closely we can see the penguins swimming to keep pace inside the waves until these are about to break. As a wave breaks, they quickly leap upright and land on their webbed feet. They scramble toward shore as fast as their short legs will carry them so that the next wave will not topple them over and wash them back to sea. Now and then this happens, however, and they have to try again, but running a little faster this time.
When the gentoo penguin is beyond the reach of the waves he gets in line with hundreds or thousands more as they waddle toward the rookery among the sand dunes and clumps of diddle-dee and tussock grass several hundred feet from shore. If one is exhausted and decides to stop or take a nap for a few minutes, the others in the line behind him also stop and uncomplainingly wait until he wakes up and resumes the journey.
Courtship and wedding ceremonies among these penguins are interesting. When looking for a wife, a male will bring a pebble and lay it at the feet of his prospective bride. If she accepts it, they become husband and wife. But it is very difficult to tell the difference between a male and a female. Sometimes even the penguins have this problem, and a male may mistakenly present a pebble to another male. This is an insult, of course, and results in a heated battle.
After an acceptable match is made, the pair forms a crude nest of some grass, sticks and mostly pebbles; then two eggs are laid. Each pair has its own private property boundaries and jealously guards its territory during incubation. But it is not unusual for one penguin to “borrow” pebbles and other building materials from a neighbor’s nest while he is not looking. This makes the rookery extremely noisy. While some engage in territorial disputes, others try to retrieve stolen property. Over such matters they often come to violent blows with beaks, flippers and claws. It is the sort of conduct that the Bible describes as ‘animalistic,’ and it is not meant for humans to imitate.—Jas. 3:14-18.
The parents take turns in caring for the little ones permitting one mate to go to feed on fish, squid, shrimp or other shellfish. When the mate returns the chicks are fed by regurgitation.
At first the chicks are covered with down and are quite helpless. When they are grown and about to take to the water they grow adult feathers—very small ones, smooth in texture and watertight.
Since penguins are awkward on land, when a gentoo is in a hurry and its short legs cannot carry it fast enough, it oftentimes flops down on its belly and propels itself with flippers and feet to scoot over the sand like a toboggan.
The people of the Falkland Islands used to take penguin eggs from the rookeries, since these were considered a delicacy by many. However, the local government has discouraged this practice among the natives so that the gentoo may not become an “endangered species” and later join the many other species of penguins that are now extinct.
The Rock Hopper
Also on the Falkland Islands is found the rock hopper, or macaroni, penguin, wearing tufts of feathers for a headdress. While the gentoos choose sandy areas for their rookeries, the rock hoppers prefer a rocky coastline. Instead of seeking the easy way around a cliff, they like to leap and crawl from one ledge to another up the steepest part of a cliff.
They are alert to their enemies, especially the leopard seal. When they are ready to return to sea, they carefully test the water to see if it is safe. Dozens of rock hoppers will gather along the edge of a cliff or rock and look searchingly into the water to try to spot Mr. Seal. More keep coming from behind and the crowd gets bigger. Suddenly an unsuspecting victim is pushed over the edge into the waters below. Those remaining on top watch to see what is happening to their “fallen friend.” If there is a sudden churning of the water and he disappears, they know it is not safe to jump in then. So they return to the rookery and will try again later on. But if they see him swimming out to sea unmolested, they know the water is safe and the rest leap into the waters and head out to the sea again.
Occasionally, however, a wise and experienced old seal will let the first few swim by unharmed. You can imagine what follows! He and his friends have a real feast after hundreds of rock hoppers leap into what they consider “safe waters.”
Penguins of Many Varieties
As we have observed, there are various species of penguins—17 known to exist today, and each with identifying traits. The blackfoot, or jackass, penguin, is found on the shores of southern Africa and on many islands of the South Atlantic Ocean.
The king penguin is the second largest of all penguins. It is also found on the Falkland Islands and other nearby places.
The Humboldt penguin is named after the Humboldt current of the Pacific Ocean. Its cool waters enable them to live in Chile and Peru and as far north as the Galápagos Islands. This appears to be the farthest north that penguins are found. On the Atlantic side of South America, penguins are sometimes seen as far north as Uruguay and southern Brazil.
The smallest, the pigmy penguin, is only about 15 cm (6 in.) tall when full grown and lives on only a few islands in the South Pacific Ocean. All of them have in common the inability to fly through the air as do other birds. However, they do use their powerful flippers to “fly” under water. As they travel through the water they move their flippers alternately like a swimmer’s arms, rather than simultaneously like wings of birds in flight.
Penguins have been seen in zoos by people in many parts of the world. But it is a special thrill to see them, thousands together, in the natural surroundings.