Penguin Parents' Epic Journey to Feed Their Chicks
In Penguin Parents' Epic Journey to Feed Their Chicks, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how penguins in Antarctica travel very far to hunt for krill, but the real challenge is getting the food back to their babies on the steep, muddy rim of Deception Island. After battling powerful currents and a slippery climb, the penguins use their excellent hearing to find their chicks in a colony of over 150,000. Once they deliver the krill, the other parent heads out to sea to repeat the journey. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Lesson Express
Q: What role do penguins' physical features, like their beaks, wings, and toenails, play in their journey?
A: These features help penguins climb the slippery, muddy slopes and keep their balance as they make their way back to their babies, showing how their bodies are adapted to the harsh environment.
Q: Why might penguins take turns going out to hunt for krill instead of both parents going at once?
A: Taking turns ensures that at least one parent is always with the baby penguin, keeping it safe while the other parent hunts for food. This teamwork helps them both feed and care for their young.
Q: How does the penguin's environment shape its behavior and survival strategies?
A: The harsh Antarctic environment forces penguins to develop behaviors like traveling long distances for food, working as a team, and using their physical adaptations to climb steep terrain, all of which help them survive and care for their young.
More Like This
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 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 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 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 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 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.