Current location:Stellar Stories news portal > entertainment
On a wing and a prayer! Watch the nail
Stellar Stories news portal2024-05-21 17:34:01【entertainment】4People have gathered around
IntroductionIncredible new footage has revealed the nail-biting moment hundreds of baby penguins jumped off a 50
Incredible new footage has revealed the nail-biting moment hundreds of baby penguins jumped off a 50ft ice cliff in Antarctica.
A National Geographic film crew was visiting Atka Bay on the Ekstrom Ice Shelf, when they spotted approximately 700 emperor penguin chicks gathering at the edge of a cliff.
To their amazement, the chicks began to leap from the summit, before smashing into the icy ocean waters below.
Thankfully, the chicks emerged from the stunt unscathed.
'This spectacular, heart-stopping moment has been witnessed by scientists before, but this is the first time the rare behavior has been filmed for television,' National Geographic explained.
Incredible new footage has revealed the nail-biting moment hundreds of baby penguins jumped off a 50ft ice cliff in Antarctica
READ MORE: Scientists warn 90% of the world's Emperor penguins could die out in just 80 years if the Antarctic keeps melting at its current rate
AdvertisementAntarctica is home to 66 known Emperor penguin colonies, who usually breed and raise their chicks in the winter.
Every January, when the chicks are around five months old, they undergo a process known as fledging.
During this process, the chicks lose their baby feathers and leave their colony for the first time, travelling to the ocean to take their first swim.
Surprisingly, this swimming lesson takes place without the supervision of any adult penguins.
'This is when they are essentially learning how to swim,' said Sara Labrousse, a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
'That's not something that their parents teach them.
'When they first go in the water, they are very awkward and unsure of themselves. They are not the fast and graceful swimmers their parents are.'
A National Geographic film crew was visiting Atka Bay on the Ekstrom Ice Shelf, when they spotted approximately 700 emperor penguin chicks gathering at the edge of a cliff
To their amazement, the chicks began to leap from the summit, before smashing into the icy ocean waters below
BREEDING PERIOD OF EMPEROR PENGUINS
MARCH TO APRIL
Emperor penguins begin a courtship - males and females usually take one partner each year.
MAY TO JULY
In the midst of Antarctica's winter, the females will lay their eggs on stable sea ice.
While females then head for the sea, males stay to incubate the eggs for a period of 65 to 75 days.
AUGUST TO NOVEMBER
Chicks are usually born during this period and stay close to their parents for several months.
At this time, chicks have fluffy feathers that aren't waterproof, so they need to steer clear of the sea.
DECEMBER TO JANUARY
Chicks completely 'fledge' - replacing their first feathers with water-tight adult feathers.
AdvertisementNormally, the chicks enter the water from a fairly safe height of around one to two feet.
However, satellite images have recently confirmed that some colonies are breeding and raising their chicks high up on ice shelves.
This means the chicks are being forced to jump into the ocena from much taller heights.
This January, a film crew, led by BAFTA award-winning cinematographer, Bertie Gregory, headed to Atka Bay in the hopes of witnessing this lofty exhibition.
'The team worked for two months in minus 5-degree temperatures and flew drones to the very limit of their capability,' National Geographic explained.
'Staying through the point of nearby ice breaking up and drifting out to the Southern Ocean, the team filmed until a storm closed in, ending all filming for the rest of the Antarctic summer.'
While scientists have witnessed the spectacular moment before, filming it proved rather tricky.
The team used a newly released camera drone, equipped with a telephoto lens, which allowed them to capture the behaviour from the air - importantly, without disrupting the pneguins.
'Filming the fledging of emperor penguins presented a unique set of challenges as the passage only takes place when the sea ice reaches its most unstable time of the year,' National Geographic added.
'Bertie and his team took every measure to ensure the safety of the crew and wildlife by assembling a world-class safety team.'
The incredible footage was captured for a new programme, Secrets of the Penguins, which will premier on Disney+ in April 2025.
'This spectacular, heart-stopping moment has been witnessed by scientists before, but this is the first time the rare behavior has been filmed for television,' National Geographic explained
The incredible footage was captured for a new programme, Secrets of the Penguins, which will premier on Disney+ in April 2025
EMPEROR PENGUIN IS THE LARGEST SPECIES OF THE FLIGHTLESS BIRD
The Emperor penguin is the largest species of penguin, reaching heights of around four feet (1.2 meters) tall, and weighing between 49 pounds (22 kilograms) and 99 pounds (44 kilograms).
They are recognisable due to their distinctive black back and head, white breast and yellow patches on their necks.
The flightless birds inhabit the Antarctic, huddling together to keep warm in the icy climate, where temperatures reach as low as -90C.
Emperor penguins breed and raise their young almost exclusively on sea ice, with the females laying eggs before heading off to hunt for food, leaving the males to incubate the egg.
If there's too little sea ice, it reduces the availability of breeding sites and prey for emperor penguins, but too much ice means longer hunting trips for adults, which means they can't feed their chicks as frequently
After the chick is born, parents take turns foraging at sea and caring for the newborn within the colony.
The birds' diet consists primarily of fish, but they will also eat crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. To facilitate hunting the penguins can remain underwater for up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 1,755 ft.
The relationship between Emperor penguins and sea ice is fragile.
If there's too little sea ice, it reduces the availability of breeding sites and prey, but too much ice means longer hunting trips for adults, which means they can't feed their chicks as frequently.
Address of this article:http://namibia.highlanderdistrict.org/content-29a699968.html
Address of this article:http://namibia.highlanderdistrict.org/content-29a699968.html
Very good!(4)
Related articles
- OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
- Core blimey: French apple rose tart
- Copa 71 review: An enlightening documentary about REAL girl power, writes BRIAN VINER
- Core blimey: Poached pears with blackberry drizzle and hazelnut shortbread
- Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
- First look: Prince Andrew 'car crash' interview with Emily Maitlis film trailer released by Netflix
- Food writer baffles This Morning viewers with tips for cheap lunches
- Should you put 'magic' mushrooms in your coffee?
- Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
- The Iron Claw review: The Big Daddy of wrestling movies
Popular articles
Recommended
Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
Why we cannot let the disability support changes happen
Serial mistress, 54, enjoys luxurious £5,000 trip to Costa Rica
ALISON BOSHOFF: Yo ho ho! Johnny Depp to launch his own brand of Caribbean dark rum
A warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest was requested. But no decision was made about whether to issue it
Global democracy rankings: Australia in top 10 nations
Signs of sharp wit! These funny notices left customers in fits of laughter
Prince Andrew enjoys horse
Links
- The Guess Who and B.T.O. rocker Randy Bachman has prized instruments up for auction
- No rest for Rodgers! Controversial New York Jets quarterback continues Achilles recovery with early
- Jokic, Gilgeous
- Joy Corrigan goes braless under a stunning long lacy pink cardigan and white knee
- Heavy rainstorms kill 4 people in southern China. Ten others are missing
- The flooded housewives of Dubai: Chanel underwater, supercars swept away and mega
- Matt Rempe and Rangers' fourth line comes up big in Game 1
- What the cost of insulin may mean for Biden's campaign
- Arkansas teen held on murder charge after fatal shooting outside party after high school prom
- Cruz Beckham's VERY sweet tribute to mum Victoria at her star