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Emperor Penguins, AntarcticaEmperor penguins are Olympian swimmers, capable of diving to 1,750 feet and remaining underwater 20 minutes on a single breath. "I was mesmerized by their beautiful bubble trails," says Nicklen, who braved 28°F water to capture these images. See more pictures from the November 2012 feature story "Escape Velocity."

Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Photo of the Day: Best of October 2012

View the most popular Photo of the Day images from October 2012, from National Geographic.

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