Cheeky Adelie penguins will risk a telling off in order to steal some food
THE EMPEROR PENGUINS OF ATKA BAY in Antarctica, pictured on the left in this altercation, have the frozen coast to themselves in winter. But in the springtime, they are joined by Adelie penguins, who return to breed after spending the Antarctic winter offshore.
The Adelies’ arrival makes quite the stir. Despite being a fraction of the size of their larger cousins (weighing in at 5kg apiece, compared to the emperor penguin’s 40kg bulk) they have no compunction about mingling amongst the emperor penguins and stealing food from the chicks.
Mostly this involves being in the right place at the right time: when the parent emperors regurgitate food for their offspring, some inevitably falls on the ground, at which point the Adelies grasp the opportunity for a meal. Sometimes, though, their impatience gets the better of them and they pester the chicks, even when there’s no food in sight. Such behaviour gets short shrift from emperor penguin parents and chicks alike.
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“I am drawn to penguins”
German photographer Stefan Christmann snapped this image while filming with the BBC Natural History Unit for the Dynasties series. “I am always drawn to penguins,” he says, fondly recalling two winters based at Neumayer- Station III, Atka Bay. “They can neither fly nor walk well and still inhabit a niche in what is one of the most hostile places on the planet.”