Penguins

(moving from friendstar)

Finally after a lot of planning, double checking with people (since I got ditched once!) etc etc I saw March of the Penguins. So if you haven't seen it yet, read that rest after watching it.

In a way this blog is inspired by Amlan's. It seems that this very very old ritual is driven by the need to propagate the species. So I don't see how that can facilitate GLTB penguins. But I can be wrong. One thing that's not clear for me is that do the parent go back to the see if the egg breaks during the transfer? If so, then how come there were some male penguins without eggs during the winter storm? & of course I too am curious about adoption in penguin society. What happens to babies if their mom doesn't come back? Once possible solution that comes to my human mind (assuming the broken couples stay back @ the breeding ground):

Why don't the males of the broken couples return to the sea with the females & come back & then adopt any orphaned chick, so that the dad can go to eat? Yep, this would lead to "gay" parents & also to higher chances of survival for the chicks. Similarly for chicks that loose their dad, who looks after them when the mom goes to eat? The community or any particular mom?

But what I understood is that no matter how much a broken egg means, a dead chick means a lot more. A chick talks back, they recognize voices - in a sense its more living than an egg. So a chick dying makes it hard enough for the mom to try to fill the void. But may be loosing a "non-talking" egg not resulting in a chick isn't hard enough for the female to adopt an orphaned chick. Do the dad play any role in trying to find a mom among those who lost their eggs/chicks?

Also it seems impossible to have twins as penguins! Siblings? Does it even matter? On a very light note: the birth dates for all penguins must be in the same month! Wonder what would have happened if they wanted to celebrate birthdays. May be from their 5th birthday they celebrate it by trying to bring new lives to Earth.

It was also interesting to see how the chicks take to the ocean all by themselves - learn to feed & protect themselves out there without any training from there parents. Also that leads to another question: Do the children ever end up mating with their parents? & where is the "home" where they stay during the summer? + since the parenting is so specialized how does the chicks learn those tricks before they try to find a mate? How do they learn to rehearse the "transfer"? Is it simply by watching the more experienced couples? Is the compatibility in doing this "transfer dance" any factor in choosing a partner?

Needless to say its simply amazing how the team made this movie & that its a must see for everyone especially new parents or would be parents. It was amazing to see how the penguins body is adapted to the weather they endure & the terrain they use to bring life to Earth. & I guess their breeding ground really don't have anything with which they can build a nest. From that perspective they are extremely self-reliant & self-sufficient. They use themselves to beat the cold + eat to stalk up energy & then go without food for months!

On a lighter note, no one should try to walk a marathon with a penguin! ;)