The emperor penguin mums and dads of Cape Crozier are returning from their fishing trips, bringing back a treasure trove of scientific data along with a full belly.
Emperor penguins at Cape Crozier on Ross Island. The photo was taken in mid November when the chicks were about half-grown. Photo: RNZ / Alison Ballance
Click here to listen to the full episode from 2020 series Voices from Antarctica
The team of NIWA scientists camped out at Cape Crozier equipped 19 penguins with data loggers, and five with video cameras, hoping to capture clues about where the penguins go to forage, and what they might be eating.
It turns out, each individual penguin travels out to quite different parts of the pack ice, swimming 250km from the colony, and making dives as deep as 400m over more than two weeks. During these trips, an adult bird can pack on up to 2kg in body weight.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about the secret lives of these remarkable ice-dwellers.
Thank you to Liz Garton for help with this episode.
Learn more:
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Tune into the full episode on Thursday 13 October at Our Changing World’s new time of 7pm, on Nights with Karyn Hay.
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Read Alison’s story (and check out her photos!) from the original episode that first aired in 2020.
