ADELIE PENGUIN

CHARACTERISTICS: Together with the Emperor Penguin, they are one of only two penguin species that live in the Antarctic continent itself. Each penguin is 45 to 50 cm in length and around 4 Kg. in weight. Their distinctive feature is their white circular rings around the eyes. They have characteristic feathers on the base of the bill.
DIET: Principally crustaceans and fish.
REPRODUCTION: They come together in breeding grounds in October. The males call the females with a low guttural sound followed by a loud cry. A female generally lays two brown or green-coloured eggs. In December, the warmest month in Antarctica (around minus 2°C), the father and mother alternate incubating the egg; one goes in search of food and the other remains. In March, the adults return to the sea with their young.
CURIOSITIES: In 1830, the French explorer Dumont d'Urville christened it in honour of his wife, Adélie.