Saturday, January 9, 2010

ADELIE PENGUIN


   The Adelie Penguin is one of the most famous and wellknown penguin.  It is the stereotypical penguin, it is well-known because it’s “tuxedo” shirt on the front of his chest.  It’s beak is reddish with a black dot on the tip.

In winter, Adelies stay on the iceberg.  They usually lay eggs in November; the female goes out to sea first and leaves the male with the eggs to stand alone in 10 days. 

Hatching occurs after 35 days.  The chicks grow really fast and become almost as large as their parents.  Then the chicks huddle in a nursery group called crèches for warmth and protection.  By late March, the chicks can swim and can live by itself.



The Adelie’s oceanic predetors are the Leopard Seals that lie in the bottom of the ocean and grab the first penguin he or she sees.

Did you know?


l       Adelies are the smallest and most widely distributed penguins in the Antarctic.
l        Named after the wife of the French explorer Admiral Durmont d' Urville.
l       The Adelie is the most commonly studied of all the penguin species.
l       There is fierce competition among penguins for nesting sites.


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