Male Emperor Penguins Are Fathers of the Year
In Male Emperor Penguins Are Fathers of the Year, narrator Sir David Attenborough shares how male penguins endure extreme conditions to care for their eggs. Temperatures plummet, winds whip, and the Sun disappears as these hardy birds huddle for protection. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What makes winter in Antarctica such an ordeal for male emperor penguins?
A: Winter means four months of darkness, temperatures of -94°F (-70 °C), high winds, and no food or water.
Q: What adaptations allow emperor penguins to endure these conditions?
A: They huddle together; the huddle seems to move or rotate; their downy stomachs protect the eggs; they seem able to survive without food or water.
Q: What other solution could there be for the penguins to avoid such an ordeal?
A: Student responses will vary. Students may mention laying eggs in a warmer area.
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In King Penguins and Their Survival Suits, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights how king penguins go through a dramatic change on the remote South Georgia island. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Keeping Warm, Penguin-Style, host Andy Day shrinks down to the size of an emperor penguin so he can waddle, slide, and cozy up to a group of emperor penguins. When he finds the penguins, he shrinks even more so he can keep warm like penguin chicks do. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Andy's Wild Adventures, in which Andy Day embarks on wild adventures with his puppet friend, Kip the cat.
In Emperor Penguins Return to the Colony, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how emperor penguins evade leopard seals to get back on the ice and back to their chicks. Learn how emperor penguins take care of their chicks and then return to the water. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In Traversing Extreme Winters in Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how two animals, the Weddell seal and the emperor penguin, live in the extreme environment of Antarctica. Watch the aurora borealis in the northern and southern hemispheres. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.