A Superlative Penguin

The least known, last studied, strangest penguin
takes a scientist on a most uncomfortable journey.

Story by Lloyd Spencer Davis


The Antipodes Islands are in the middle of nowhere. More precisely, they are three and a half days of vomiting southeast of my home in Dunedin, New Zealand. I am the sort of person who gets motion sickness on escalat... read more

Life in the "Fast" Lane: Adélie penguins and the coordination of nest relief

It is 10:22 on 6 December. Stiff southerly gusts swat the penguin as it crouches low over its eggs, face into the wind. Overhead, the sky is puffed and bruised by dark clouds. Impending snow chills the air. It's a bleak day which, for this penguin, is about to get bleaker.

Without ceremony, the penguin stands to one side of its nest. Its weak legs struggle to keep balance in the swi... read more

Hot Times For A Cool Bird

Snow stings the exposed flesh of my face. I am wearing pure wool long-johns, a woollen shirt, over trousers made from a metallic space-age material, a dacron vest, and a jacket - a huge jacket - filled entirely with goose down. On my feet I have a pair of thick-soled mukluks which would not look out of place on the moon and, inside them, a pair of fleece-lined booties. My hands are covered by poly... read more