We use cookies to improve your experience, some are essential for the operation of this site.

A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.

A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.
A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.
A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.
A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.
Comments (0)
131641
Linder, Christopher L.
A penguin colony with Mt. Erebus in the background.
Still Image
12/03/2007
graphics/pd3-1/cl_20071203_antarctica_adeliepenguins_060.jpg
Skuas live around penguin colonies in part because of the promise of easy breakfasts. So why do penguins-and many other seabirds, for that matter-live in colonies at all? One answer has to do with limited real estate. Though Cape Royds, Antarctica, may seem like a harsh place to us, it's actually cushy for penguins. It has high ground, plenty of pebbles to build nests with, an easy walk to the ice, and open water for feeding. But even though colonies attract predators, nesting with other penguins can actually make nests safer. (Here, penguins at the Cape Royds colony look east to 12,400-foot Mt. Erebus, an active volcano.)
Image of the Day caption:
Though Cape Royds, Antarctica, may seem like a harsh place, it actually provides a fairly comfortable existence for animals like these penguins. It has high ground, plenty of pebbles with which to build nests, and proximity to open water for feeding. But changes in the region are beginning to disrupt that delicately balanced ecosystem. Because penguins are relatively long-lived, are high on the food chain, and range widely to hunt for food, WHOI biologist Stephanie Jenouvrier is looking at penguins and other seabirds as potential bio-indicators of the ecological consequences of climate change and ocean acidification.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Labels
This item includes these files
Image
Image
Collections