Exploring gentoo penguin colony, Aitcho Islands, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Adult gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), with very small white ocular patch at Brown Bluff near the Antarctica, Polar Regions

Adult gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), returning from the sea at Booth Island, Antarctica, Southern Ocean, Polar Regions

Male upland goose (Chloephaga picta) in flight in front of a penguin colony at Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands, South America

People viewing African penguins on Boulders Beach, Seaforth, Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa

Male Southern Elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) with female on snow, King penguins behind, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island, Antarctic, Polar Regions

Hikers climbing Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Growling male Southern Elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), Salisbury Plains, South Georgia Island, Antarctic, Polar Regions

Tourists photographing king penguin chicks at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island, Antarctica

Tourists photographing king penguin chicks at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island, Antarctica

King Penguins on Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, with passengers from an expedition cruise.

King Penguins at Gold Harbour, South Georgia, with passengers from an expedition cruise.

King Penguins at Gold Harbour, South Georgia, with passengers from an expedition cruise.

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) hunting fish underwater near snorkeler in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) split view underwater in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Lindblad Expeditions guests on board the National Geographic Explorer with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice, Antarctica

Researchers from OCEANITES counting penguins from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer (shown here is )working in Antarctica

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) split view underwater in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) during snow storm at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica, Southern Ocean

Lindblad Expeditions guests with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

The Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer operating in and around the Antarctic peninsula in Antarctica

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) split view underwater in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Ad?lie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) with Lindblad guests in snowstorm at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Peninsula in the Weddell Sea , Antarctica.

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) chick head detail at colony on Useful Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. There are an estimated 2 million breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic peninsula region alone, perhaps as many as 7.5 million breeding pairs in all of Antarctica. Their name derives from the narrow black band under their heads which makes it appear as if they are wearing black helmets, making them one of the most easily identified types of penguin. Other names for them are "Ringed Penguins", "Bearded Penguins", and "Stonecracker Penguins" due to their harsh call. They grow to 68 cm (27 in). The average adult weight of a Chinstrap Penguin is 4.5 kg (10 lbs). Weight can range from 3 to 6 kg (6.6-13.2 lbs), with males being slightly larger and weight varying based on where the penguin is in the breeding cycle. Their diet consists of krill, shrimp, and fish. On land they build circular nests from stones, and lay two eggs, which are incubated by both the male and the female for shifts of five to ten days. They can also breed on icebergs, though they prefer non-icy conditions. The chicks hatch after about 35 days, and have fluffy gray backs and white fronts. The chicks stay in the nest for 20?30 days before they go to join a creche. At around 50?60 days old, they moult, gaining their adult plumage and go to sea. The Chinstrap Penguin was first described by German naturalist Forster in 1781. Its specific epithet was often seen as antarctica, however a 2002 review determined the genus Pygoscelis was masculine, and hence the correct binomial name is Pygoscelis antarcticus.

Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) mating (male on top), Cuverville Island, Antarctica, Southern Ocean.

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) split view underwater in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) on the island of South Georgia, Southern Atlantic Ocean

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) hunting fish underwater in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

A lone adult king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) among nesting colonies of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Barrentos Island, Aitcho Island Group, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Lindblad Expeditions guests with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) with admirer on sea ice near Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.

Lindblad Expeditions guests with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) breeding and nesting colonies on South Georgia Island, Southern Ocean.

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) on the Antarctic Peninsula at Brown Bluff, Antarctica, Southern Ocean

Lindblad Expeditions guests with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Chinstrap penguin pair (Pygoscelis antarctica) at colony on Bailey Head on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Chinstrap penguin pair mating (Pygoscelis antarctica) at breeding colony on Bailey Head on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Adult Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) pair mating in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Chinstrap penguin pair (Pygoscelis antarctica) mating at a breeding colony on Barrentos Island in the Aitcho Island Group in the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula

Bartender Jamie dressed as a penguin from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer enjoy Antarctica

Natural history staff from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer doing various things in and around the Antarctic Peninsula

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Chinstrap penguin pair mating (Pygoscelis antarctica) at breeding colony on Bailey Head on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Lindblad Expeditions guests with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice in the Gullet between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) breeding and nesting colony on South Georgia Island, Southern Ocean.

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Staff from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer (shown here is Justin Hofman) working on South Georgia

Lindblad Expeditions guests on board the National Geographic Explorer with a lone adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) on sea ice, Antarctica

Adult emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) tobogganing on sea ice with admirers near Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.

Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) parent and chick at breeding colony on Useful Island near the Antarctic Peninsula

Guano-covered chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) chick at breeding colony on Useful Island near the Antarctic Peninsula

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer kayaking in and around the Antarctic Peninsula in the summer months.

Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) porpoising near kayaker in Antarctica, Southern Ocean

Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) bathing en masse in Antarctica, Southern Ocean

Adult Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) adult feeding chicks near the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Guest from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer with gentoo penguin chick in Antarctica

The Lindblad Expedition Ship National Geographic Explorer operating in Antarctica in the summer months.

King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) walking in front of a mating Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina), St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island

Couple of King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island

Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) mating, St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), pair of animals, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands, Great Britain, South America

African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), adult, pair, on the beach, copula, Boulders Beach, Simonstown, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa

Couple of King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island

African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), adult, two juveniles, siblings, on the beach, feeding, social behaviour, Boulders Beach, Simonstown, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa

Oakum Boy King Penguin (Aptenodytes Patagonicus) Sleeping On Beach, Antarctica

A man lying on his side on the ice, close to an emperor penguin standing motionless, Weddell Sea, Antarctica

King penguins mating (Aptenodytes patagonicus), Volunteer Point, East Falkland, Falklands

King penguin (Aptenodyptes patagonicus), Volunteer Point, East Falkland, January 2018

Mating Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome), subspecies Southern R. Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome, during spring on Saunders Island. South America, Falkland Islands, October