Antarctica landscapes and wildlife photos

Feeding of penguin chick

09/44

Adelie penguin feeding his chick after he regurgitated part of its catch, probably mainly krill. On this photo we clearly see the head of the starving chick disappears in his parent's throat! This is not a specificity of Adelie penguins as I noticed the same behavior with Gentoo chicks. The penguin chick will be able to feed himself as soon as its juvenile down disappears, replaced by waterproof feathers allowing the penguin to dive into the freezing ocean.
On Petermann island both Adelie and Gentoo penguin live together in perfect harmony.