Why are the penguins up so high?
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by alwaysinajam
They can't fly so they had to climb the hill. I would think they would want to be close to the water for easy escape from predators. Is it due to nesting? Is there some advantage to having the nests at the crest? They went to a lot of work to get to this spot: I am curious as to why they made the effort.
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by gardenmaeve moderator
Generally, Gentoos prefer flatter ground than their cousins the Adelies, but that's not always an option. They are quite close to the water here compared to some penguins who must travel for a long way to fish.
When they arrive back to their nesting grounds, there is deep snow. As snow melts, the lower sites may be flooded, endangering eggs and young chicks. So in many places, higher is better. It's not so difficult for them as you'd think. They are heavily muscled and built for hill climbing and sea swimming.
Good observation and question, thank you! 😃
Note: Here's a different site showing the flooding that can happen Muddy and wetPosted
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by Sitandslide
Also, at least as far as leopard seals go as predators, those (mostly? solely?) catch penguins in the water, so it's actually the land which provides penguins with escape there. (This obviously also goes for orcas.) That in itself doesn't explain why so high up, but it takes away a chief hypothesized reason for wanting to be close to the water.
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by gardenmaeve moderator
Agree that seals tend to pursue penguins in water- usually. High nesting sites are advantageous because snowmelt endangers low-lying sites, as mentioned. 😃
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