I miss being able to see serious wildlife every time I look out my window. Nothing against the crickets and domestic cats of North Carolina, but an occasional penguin would be super. Anyway, I’m posting a photo to quench my own nostalgia:
Posts from the Animals Category
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Scary Birds
If you thought the Giant Petrel was a little scary, let me tell you about the Skua. Skuas are one of the top predators here. They’re quite good at what they do, too, and get a reputation for being a bit evil. Some individuals, for example, have been caught pecking out the eyeballs of penguin chicks. Rather than eating them on the spot, the skuas leave these chicks wandering around helpless, ensuring a fresh supply of easy-to-catch meat throughout the entire Antarctic summer. Yup, skuas are pretty easy to hate… until you see BABY SKUAS, which are even cuter than penguin chicks. I mean, c’mon. Look at this lil guy. He’s like a real-life marshmallow Peep!
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Squawkward: embarrassing penguin portraits (Episode 1)
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SIX-FOOT WINGSPAN
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve met plenty of six-foot wingspans before. Heck, there are folks on UNC’s basketball team with wingspans much wider than that. I don’t think any of them have big, pointy beaks, though, and I’m also pretty sure none of them have ever eaten a penguin or seal. Meet the Giant Petrel: closest thing I’ve ever seen to a pterodactyl.
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Rondo à la Penguin
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This is how I feel about Mondays:
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Flying Penguins
This lil Chinstrap penguin hopped into view while I was crouched behind a rock, trying to get a photo of the cormorant bobbing in our harbor. He scared me about as badly as I scared him!
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Whales!
Just in case you wondered whether I ever see anything besides penguins here:
…yes.
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Baby penguin yawning
I bet you came here looking for a super cute picture of a sleepy penguin chick. Busted! Well check out this freaky factoid in photo form: Adelie penguin tongues have spikes. SPIKES! Creepy little dino-beaks with spiky tongues.
(click on the photo to enlarge it)
If you must know, their tongues have spikes to better catch and devour krill.
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BABY PENGUINS, Y’ALL!
THEY’RE HATCHING ALL OVER THE PLACE!
…and they all have lil fluffy butts…
…and they all spend 90% of their time snuggled up under Momma Penguin’s belly fluff. The other 10% of their time is devoted to consuming regurgitated seafood. Om nom nom!
