Penguins

I wasn’t sure what I would be most infatuated when visiting Antarctica, but I don’t think penguins crossed my mind as a front-runner. But once we saw them I found them totally fascinating and funny and found that I could happily sit and watch them for hours. Counting our Martillo Island excursion, we saw 4 species of penguins, King, Magellanic, Chinstrap, and Gentoo. Once on the Antarctic Peninsula, we primarily saw Gentoos and Chinstraps. Since we traveled in March most of the penguin populations had returned to the sea for the season. I was still impressed with the numbers but I can only imagine what travelers who go earlier in the season experience. The chicks were juveniles by the time we visited and had lost their downy feathers, so while they weren’t the cute fluffy chicks some people plan their trip around, they were the awkward, curious teenager. This made for a lot of funny interactions. Their awkwardness on land is trumped by their grace in the water. One of my favorite things to see was when they would porpoise past us in the water. They are made to missile through the water in search of fish.

Here are some penguin facts that might surprise you:

• A group of penguins in the water is called a 'raft' – a group of penguins on land is called a waddle.
•  Gentoo penguins are the fastest species – they can reach swimming speeds up to 22 mph. Most penguins manage speeds of between 4-7mph
• Penguins will mate with the same member of the opposite sex season after season.
• Scientists can locate large penguin colonies from space, just by looking for dark ice patches stained by penguin droppings.
• Chinstrap penguins return to land to nest 2 weeks after most other species. This leaves only higher up areas available for nesting. They will actually hike, using their beaks like pickaxes, as high as 1,500 vertical feet.