King Penguins and Their Survival Suits
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.
Lesson Express
Q: How are king penguins well-suited for life in freezing waters?
A: They have sleek “survival suits” and tightly packed feathers.
Q: What do elephant seals sound like?
A: Student responses will vary.
Q: What do the penguins do while they are on land? Why?
A: They experience a catastrophic molt in which they lose all their feathers and regrow them. They must do this because their feathers are worn down from months in the water.
More Like This

In Arctic Summer Visitors, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how and why animals arrive at the Arctic in summer. Learn about the guillemots and beluga whales that arrive in the Arctic in summer. 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.

In The Chinstrap Penguin in Winter, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how chinstrap penguins find a perfect breeding spot. Learn why a volcano is a great breeding spot for these penguins. 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 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 Arctic Summer Visitors, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how and why animals arrive at the Arctic in summer. Learn about the guillemots and beluga whales that arrive in the Arctic in summer. 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.

In The Chinstrap Penguin in Winter, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how chinstrap penguins find a perfect breeding spot. Learn why a volcano is a great breeding spot for these penguins. 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 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.