Emily:
So Brian, how have you been doing with your reading on penguins?
Brian:
Not too bad, Emily.
Emily:
I hadn't realised there were so many differences between the various types of penguin.
Brian:
Anyway, I started with the Gentoo.
Emily:
And me with the Rockhopper.
Emily:
And it turns out they're rather cautious.
Brian:
Not scared of swimming, I trust.
Emily:
Oh no, but they don't like going about at night.
Brian:
Scared of the dark, I suppose.
Emily:
And if they're climbing over some rocky landscape, they'll only jump if they have to.
Emily:
And even then, they'll look carefully down and spend time deciding whether to or not.
Emily:
The Rockhopper will have a quick look if it's somewhere they haven't dropped down before.
Emily:
But they don't seem timid.
Emily:
In fact, they're pretty determined.
Emily:
And if they're trying to get up somewhere, they grip onto the stones with their slightly hooked bills as well as their nails when the surface gets very steep.
Brian:
Nothing stops them.
Brian:
Because the other type I looked into, the Magellanic, tend to stick to the beach rather than going inland.
Brian:
So you see them walking along with their flippers at their sides or a bit forward.
Brian:
If they come across something they haven't seen before, they cock their head first to one side, then the other, peering out of each eye in turn, as if they don't quite believe anything until they've double-checked it.
Brian:
And then, when they call to each other about anything, they arch their backs strangely first before making a very loud noise indeed.
Emily:
Because the King Penguin stands very upright when it calls.
Emily:
And they have the longest flippers which they hold towards the ground as if they're worried about falling over.
Emily:
But it's quite dignified too.
Emily:
I think they're my favourite type.
Emily:
Anyway, there are some things that they all do the same, aren't there?
Brian:
Eating fish, for example.
Brian:
But sleeping, say.
Emily:
Occasionally you might see one stretched out flat in the sun for a snooze.
Emily:
But normally you see them standing at night, even though they're sound asleep.
Brian:
It seems odd, doesn't it?
Emily:
And then they're all liable to get aggressive if they feel invaded, aren't they?
Brian:
Yeah, not quite so sweet then.
Emily:
And with the rockhopper...
Emily:
The one with the distinctive black and yellow feathers on its head.
Emily:
If it gets annoyed about something, then the black feathers on the head point upwards, and the yellow feathers stick out.
Emily:
It all makes it look bigger or tougher.
Brian:
I wonder how often they get annoyed.
Emily:
Well, I don't know about annoyed, but they've plenty to get frightened of.
Emily:
They've got predators in the water and on land, well, in the sky anyway.
Brian:
Oh yes, the great skewer bird.
Emily:
It's after the eggs.
Emily:
So the penguins have to keep a careful watch for the skewer all the time, especially when they're nesting.
Emily:
They can spot the white patches in its wings, can't they, as one flies over.
Brian:
Yes, and then they sit very closely on the eggs to protect them.
Emily:
Not an easy life, really.
Emily:
So what else have we found out?
Brian:
Well, I was interested to see that although they nest individually, they always go into the sea together in large numbers.
Brian:
Even though it might make them more obvious to predators.
Emily:
That's the price to pay for the best way to find food.
Emily:
It means a bigger catch from each trip.
Brian:
I watched a video, too, just showing them on the beach, and I was struck by how calm they seemed to be.
Brian:
I thought they might have looked frightened.
Emily:
Perhaps it's because there are so many of them.
Emily:
Maybe that gives them a sense of security.
Emily:
In fact, all the types have a social nature.
Brian:
I guess that's why we humans find them so fascinating to observe.
Emily:
So, shall we start to put all our notes together?
