Two Emperor Penguins
July 3, 2012
Two emperor penguins meet on the Antarctic ice in what looks like a kiss. Emperor penguin courtship involves trumpeting and bonding of pairs. They breed on sea-ice and most eggs are laid in May and June after which the male takes responsibility for the entire 62-66 days of incubation while the female is at sea finding food.
Studies of emperor penguins is just one of the vast numbers of ongoing research projects that take place continually on Antarctica under the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), supported and managed by the National Science Foundation. Other Antarctic study areas are aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach, such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program, and education programs are also supported.
Credit: Glenn Grant, National Science Foundation
Topics:
Environment, Flightless birds, Penguins, Physical geography, Emperor, United States Antarctic Program, Royal Penguin, Antarctica, Geography, Ornithology
