Part X Penguins and Other Seabirds

When the topic of penguins is raised, most people tend to think only about Antarctica as their habitat. However, of the 19 living species only five actually occur in Antarctica and of those, only two are endemic there. In this episode I describe the breeding cycle and adaptations of these species to the cold Antarctic environment. The cold, dry conditions also preserve tissues in ancient deposits which is the subject of my own research in Antarctica. Some of these tissues date as old as 45,000 or more years, but look and feel modern. Other seabirds reviewed here include the endemic snow petrel and my favorite, the south polar skua.