Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/09/2011 - 05:33
Forums
Human Impacts in Antarctica 2011

Meridian: Are the penguins nice? How close can you get to them?

Dawn: How long does it take a penguin's egg to hatch?

Alison: Have any of the penguins tried to attack you? LOL

Matthew: Can you name a penguin after me?

Braxton: Like the Emperor penguins, do the Adelie penguins have the males take care of the eggs for long periods of time?

Everyone says hi and they miss you a ton! Keep warm!

Fri, 12/09/2011 - 10:19

Michelle Brown

Hello 1st period! I miss you all too!Thank you for your great questions!
Meridian: The penguins are pretty friendly! They will walk close to you, look at you and then walk away. You are not allowed to go right up to the animals and touch them, however if they come up to you (and you stand still and don't disturb them) that is okay. I was taking pictures of a penguin a few meters away from me, when I looked to my side and one was standing right next to me!
Dawn: Great question! It takes 33 days for the eggs to hatch. (The first egg takes a day longer).
Alison: No penguin attacks yet! Luckily! But a Skua did give me a scare!
Matthew: I already named all the penguins after all of my students, including you!
Braxton: Another insightful question! The Adelis do things a little different than the Emperor Penguins. The Adeli penguin parents take turns watching the eggs, but only for 12 days at a time and then they switch. The Emperor penguins have the males sit on the eggs for the whole winter--the coldest that it gets--while the females eat and swim in the ocean. That's a lot different!
Sincerely,
Ms. Brown