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| Adelie Penguin
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Adelie Penguin on Antarctica's Petermann Island | ||||||||||||||
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| Pygoscelis adeliae Jacquinot, 1841 |
This rather small penguin is 60 to 70 cm long and 5 kg in weight. Distinctive marks are the white ring surrounding the eye and the feathers at the base of the bill. These long feathers hide most of the red bill. The tail is a little bit longer than other penguins' tails.
Adelie Penguin kindergarten
in Antarctica (photo )
Adelie Penguins arrive at their breeding grounds in October. Their nests consist of stones piled together. The females lay their eggs and return to the sea. Only the males stay and hatch the eggs. It is now December, the warmest month in Antarctica (about -2°C). In 35 days of breeding the males don't eat; then the young hatch. Now the females return in order to help in feeding the young. In March the adults and their young return to the sea.
This penguin feeds mainly on crustaceans such as krill.