Penguin Chicks on the Rocks
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"How do the penguins keep the penguin chicks from tumbling off the rocks?" [Annika]
Posted
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by
AvastMH
moderator
Well that's a very good question. And with this rocky site it really IS a good question because it looks quite dangerous to me! When the chicks are very small they keep their heads and bodies closely tucked under the parent. The parent will keep the chick/chicks safely in that dip in their pebble nest.
The chicks can only get out from under mum and dad, and still stay warm, when they are about 15 days old. A lot of the chicks in this picture are about that age. So for about the next two weeks they stay close to the parent even if they can no longer tuck right under mum or dad. When the chicks reach about 28 days (4 weeks) old they start to form into creches. They are quite big by then and very able to control themselves.
The most worrying time is when they are big enough not to be able to get under mum or dad, because then the skuas can often grab a chick. If the chick were knocked off this rock it might fall off and be stranded if it was hurt in the fall. But they do bounce quite well (with all those lovely fluffy feathers!) and might well be able to climb back up to their nest if nothing is broken. In fact they practice climbing, and jumping down, when about 4 weeks old. Here is a picture to show that - have a look in the middle of the picture! 😃 http://talk.penguinwatch.org/#/subjects/APZ0007hj8
I love this picture! Does it remind you of when you go down a steep slide in the playground with your parents watching you?
Happy pebbles! Joan 😃
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