TITLE: Emperor Penguin Buddy Chicks

The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size. They spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. These flightless birds breed in the winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves! Each penguin egg's father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms.
Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while.
As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks called crèches while they leave to fish. There is a reason for the timing of emperor penguins' hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. Now the chicks are old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food.

AUTHOR: Thomas Vijayan (Canada)

Since last few years nature photography is a major part of my life and I am loving it but let me make it clear that this is my love not my profession. The Big Cats are my favorites, especially the largest in cats The Tiger, my all time sweetheart. Their elegance, the way they play in water, the way they roar, their proud walk.. every thing make me their die hard fan. We all can learn a lot when we spend time in nature and see the life circle of any tangible living thing in this beautiful world. I am sure this will help anyone to become a better person who understands the necessity of respecting nature and maintaining the stability of our eco system.