ABOUT ADÉLIE PENGUINS | VIDEO | SIDE TRIPS
>>STOP 3: ANTARCTIC ICE
As your ship approaches the shore, you admire the white world of Antarctica. This continent is so different from anywhere else on Earth; no one country owns it, and no human lives there all the time. But it's full of penguins!
The captain points out a curious pinkish area that stands out on the gray rocks on the shore. He explains that the pink is the droppings from a huge colony of Adélie penguins. As the ship sails closer, a smell of fish mixed with ammonia (it reminds you of wet diapers!) fills the air. You notice that the squirming black-and-white (on pink) mass is made up of countless individual birds— Adélie penguins.
In late September and October, Adélies crowd onto rocky, ice-free beaches and nearby slopes to breed and nest. Adélies live in colder climates than most of the other 16 species of penguins. Just as you wear layers of clothing to stay warm when you walk along the beach, Adélies rely on layers for warmth, too. Air trapped among their tightly packed outer feathers provides insulation.
As you watch a few comical birds on a nearby ice floe, you see one after another take a belly flop. Flat on their stomachs, they slide across the snow-covered floe like sleds, pushing with their feet and keeping balance with outstretched wings. It'd be fun if you could get back to your ship that way! Next stop: Africa.
