Vernadsky station polar explorers showcase newborn penguins
Penguin chicks were born on the Akademik Vernadsky (photo: facebook.com/@AntarcticCenter)
The first penguin chicks have already been born near the Akademik Vernadsky Antarctic station. And recently, polar explorers managed to make a video with the little ones, according to the National Antarctic Science Center.
Newborn penguins
According to the science center, a pair of first-born chicks was captured on video. They were born in a nest near the geospace research laboratory.
The penguins were filmed by Anna Soina, a geophysicist at the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition (UAE). The researchers clarified that Anna managed to make the video when she was on her way to her workplace.
However, the two penguins in the video are not the only babies on Galindez Island. According to the polar explorers, there are about a dozen newborn penguins now. In addition, most of the penguin babies are observed just near the aforementioned laboratory.
Earlier, the polar explorers showed photos of the first baby penguins. At that time, Svitozar Davydenko, a biologist of the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition, came across the cubs when the second penguin was still in pieces of shell.
Now the little ones are becoming more and more active, but they do not leave the parental nest yet.
According to the research center, the newborn penguins will stay in the nest for about a month, and then they will begin to change the gray fluff to the black and white feathers of adult penguins. During this important period, parents will take turns caring for the cubs.
The research center also reported the number of sub-Antarctic penguins on Galindez. According to recent estimates by polar explorers, their number is the largest among other species of penguins on the island and amounts to about 4,000.
However, last season, biologists counted 7 thousand representatives of sub-Antarctic penguins, which was a record number for all years of observations.
Post by the National Antarctic Science Center (screenshot: facebook.com/@AntarcticCenter)
