Adelie Penguin

Adélie penguins breed and raise their young farther south than any other penguin has, on the continent of Antarctica, In September and October—springtime in that part of the world—thousands of Adélies gather on the rocky Antarctic shoreline to breed. The huge gatherings are called colonies. This is where the Adélies breed and raise their young ‘til they are old enough to go on their own and survive.  Adélie penguins build nests by scooping out areas in the ground. Then they line the depression with small stones. The female usually lays two eggs in the nest. The stones in the nest help keep the eggs dry and warm by keeping them off the bare ground.  Most of the time, the female go to the nest that is biggest and will be good for them to lay eggs, and survive the harsh coldness of Antarctica.  Both parents care for the eggs. While one stays behind keeping the eggs warm and safe from predators, the other parent heads out to sea to eat. They feast mainly on krill, tiny shrimplike animals, but also eat fish and squid.  Adélie penguin eggs hatch in December –after two months of sitting and protecting their eggs- which is typically the warmest time of the year in Antarctica. Parents take turns caring for their youngsters after they hatch—just as they did to the eggs—until the chicks are about three weeks old. At that point, both parents may leave to forage for food while the chicks gather in the safety of a large group of other young penguin chicks.  When penguins are still chicks, they are covered in black thick, soft, fur that keeps them warm and hard to eat.  These groups of young Adélies are called crèches. By March, when Adélie chicks are about nine weeks old, their downy/fluffy baby feathers have been replaced by waterproof adult feathers. They head to sea, plunge in, and start hunting for food on their own. What I like about these penguins is how they already know how to hunt by their instincts, not like coyotes where they need tot to learn to hunt.   In the Antarctic winter, the Adélie penguins live at sea, whenever they need a rest they will search for an iceberg to rest on.  Their modified wings help propel them through water instead of air. These birds are swimmers, not fliers, but I never really got that because ducks dive and stuff and they fly....  so I think penguins should start learning.  When they are about to go hunting, they hunt in groups, and instead of pushing each other until one falls in, around five-ten of them will jump in at once… all the other penguins will wait until they all come back up as to say, “there is no predators, today.”  Then they all jump in and go hunting. 

 Here is a picture of one of their nests . . . .