Penguins look cute but stay back! I encountered penguins on many occasions in the Antarctic, on sea ice, rocky shores, and the adjacent seas. It’s fun to see them. However, the United States has enacted laws to protect the environment and wildlife in the region, including penguins. The U.S. enacted the Antarctic Conservation Act (ACA), a law governing human contact with Antarctic penguins, in 1978. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service further issued regulations to protect penguins in Antarctica. These regulations prohibit any activity that disturbs penguins. For example, getting too close to their breeding or rookery areas. If you getting too close causes them to change their behavior, that violates the ACA.
The Ross Sea is home to many colonies of penguins.
Penguins are adapted to life in the water, with streamlined bodies, paddle-like wings, and webbed feet that help them swim efficiently. They can dive deep into the ocean for food. Some species are capable of diving to depths of over 500 feet—or about 150 meters. Penguins primarily feed on fish, krill, and squid and are essential to the marine food chain. The unique coloring of penguins—white belly and black back, is camouflage. When swimming, they blend in with the sky when seen from below and with the depths when predators, such as leopard seals and Orcas, look down from above.
Cruising the open waters of the Ross Sea, I’ve seen penguins running with our ship by porpoise-ing in and out of the water imitating small dolphins. It was a sight when a hundred or so of them did this. I had seen nature programs with footage of penguins swimming under the surface. The leaping and diving action when traveling was new to me.
My personal not-so-close encounters with penguins.
Over the course of nine visits to the Antarctic continent, I’ve had memorable times when I’ve seen or been close – but not too close, to penguins.
On the sea ice of McMurdo Sound
The antarctic Emperor penguin is the largest species, growing up to 4 feet tall and weighing up to 90 pounds. I’ve seen a few of these on the sea ice of McMurdo Sound. The most familiar, and the one I’ve encountered the most, is the Adélie penguin, with its tuxedo-like coat. During an icebreaker visit in McMurdo Sound, our ship broke a channel in the sea ice. The ship parked when it could go no farther. Very soon, small groups of Adélies and a few Emperors popped up from the channel we cut and grouped around the ship. They enjoyed swimming in the ship’s prop wash and waddling around it, trying to figure out what it was.
The lead photo of this post shows a small group of Adélies next to our icebreaker parked in the sea ice of Sulzberger Bay in Marie Byrd Land. They leaped out of the channel we cut and gathered around the gangway that led from the ship to the ice. Very curious birds, they kept their distance. I sensed they estimated my reach from my height and kept themselves outside that distance. As I walked on the ice, they turned so that they always faced me—safety conscious.
Adélie colony at Cape Royds, Ross Island
Penguins are social animals living in large colonies, with some consisting of thousands of individuals. They have a complex social structure and engage in behaviors such as preening, vocalizing, and courtship displays, to communicate with each other. In my book Mighty Bad Land, I recount my visit to Shackleton’s Hut at Cape Royds on Ross Island. It’s the location of a penguin colony of several hundred Adélies. Here’s my impression of this visit.
Between me and Shackleton’s hut were penguins, hundreds and hundreds of penguins. In front of me and a bit to the right, Earth’s southernmost colony of Adélie penguins spread out on several low black-and-brown knolls like so many large ants. They squawked, squeaked, and stunk like old fish. We followed a thin, brown dirt pathway down the slope before us to the frozen lake at the edge of the colony.
Hard to ignore the penguins, so many of them; they squawked and waddled about, making a comical, if classic, scene. We walked up to a nest area, but not too close. I spotted a few short stakes with colored markers in the ground. Biologists had worked here.
Every penguin waddle made me smile, like infants that coo and squirm. Amid nests made from volcanic pebbles, penguin mates stood near each other. Brown-pink guano covered everything. We placed our steps with care. Clean birds hopped about; they had been washed from fishing somewhere nearby, through holes in the sea ice. Other birds had soil and guano smeared on their feathers. Done with cuteness, we watched their behavior; they challenged their neighbors, protected their mates. Some sat in nests, maybe on hidden eggs. I didn’t see any chicks, too soon in the season. None of the penguins acted curious or frightened.
Cape Adare, the north edge of the Ross Sea.
During a voyage on the icebreaker Polar Queen, we approached close to Cape Adare in Northern Victoria Land. The cape is the northern point of Antarctica on the west side of the Ross Sea. Here’s my account of this.
The Polar Queen rounded the knife edge of Cape Adare at the boundary of the Southern Ocean—she hove-to a few miles offshore from the cape at the edge of Robertson Bay on our west. The seas were moderate, sky clotted with scattered clouds, and the ice floes sparse. Just south of our ship the cliffs of the cape rose near vertical by over three thousand feet. We approached close enough to see thousands of penguins; Adélies that swarmed like giant ants over the face of the tall cliff. Close enough to hear their squawks and to smell their guano produced by consuming pink krill that painted the layers of black basalt.
I stood on the main deck, leaned on the rail next to my new Dutch friend Dick. We looked to the cliffs, amused by and in awe of these sights. “Didn’t know penguins could climb cliffs, cliffs as high as these,” I said to him. “What’s up, why are we stopped here?” Dick told me a small party is going ashore. He told me this is Ridley Beach, where Borchgrevink built his hut in 1899. It’s still there, a couple of kilometers south of us, he pointed. I looked up at the sky, clouds had increased, a fog bank appeared nearby, a strong breeze started. The weather was on the edge, I thought. That was never a surprise.
The crew lowered a Zodiac into the water and three people from German media got into it with the first mate—they sped off. Through the binoculars I saw the party drag their boat up onto the pebble beach. Groups of curious penguins gathered around; they investigated the invaders.
Penguins have unique physical adaptations and social behaviors.
Penguins are fascinating and beloved creatures that have captured attention worldwide. These iconic birds are charming and appealing whether it’s their unique physical adaptations, social behaviors, or their role in the marine ecosystem.
Despite their resilient nature, penguins face several threats in the wild, including climate change, overfishing of their main food source – krill, pollution, and habitat destruction. Several species of penguins are classified as endangered or vulnerable, making conservation efforts critical to their survival.
Beyond the scope of my post is the question if their populations are increasing or decreasing. Many studies exist on these questions and can be found by drilling down on the Internet. In my experience, the answers have changed over the years and are not straightforward.
Here are some questions for you to track down – be sure to write your answers in the comments!
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- What are the different species of penguins that inhabit Antarctica, and how do they differ in terms of behavior and physical characteristics?
- How do Antarctic penguins survive in such harsh environments, and what adaptations have they developed to cope with extreme temperatures, strong winds, and lack of food during winter?
- What is the current status of the populations of Antarctic penguins, and what threats do they face from climate change, overfishing, pollution, and human disturbance?
- What is the role of Antarctic penguins in the ecosystem, and how do they interact with other species such as seals, whales, and krill?