Thursday, February 25, 2016

Happy HEAT: More than 150,000 penguin parents huddle together to keep their young chicks warm in spectacular images


  • Astonishing images show between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins huddled together on island of South Georgia
  • Nature photographer Roie Galitz, from Tel Aviv, Israel, described the scene as 'penguins as far as the eye could see'
  • Just like Emperor Penguins, as in the film Happy Feet, King Penguins gather to insulate their babies against the cold
  • Baby chicks can be seen huddled among the crowds of adults, small brown patches of fluff in the chilly wasteland
Spectacular images show the gigantic scale of penguin parenthood when part of one of the world's largest King Penguin colonies. Hundreds of thousands of penguins huddle together for warmth in the harsh wintery conditions, just like the Emperor Penguins immortalised in the animated film Happy Feet.
On the island of South Georgia, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, these penguins are grouped together to keep their newborns from freezing to death. Nature photographer Roie Galitz, 35, captured the momentous occasion, at which between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins gathered. 
Community: Hundreds of thousands of King Penguins huddle together for warmth in the harsh  conditions on the island of South Georgia
Community: Hundreds of thousands of King Penguins huddle together for warmth in the harsh conditions on the island of South Georgia
Parenthood: An adult penguin feeds a morsel of food to its chick, which is still just a ball of brown fluff and requires round-the-clock care
Parenthood: An adult penguin feeds a morsel of food to its chick, which is still just a ball of brown fluff and requires round-the-clock care
Parenthood: An adult penguin feeds a morsel of food to its chick, which is still just a ball of brown fluff and requires round-the-clock care
Spectacular: Nature photographer Roie Galitz, 35, captured the occasion, at which between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins gathered
Spectacular: Nature photographer Roie Galitz, 35, captured the occasion, at which between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins gathered
'It was overwhelming,' said Roie, from Tel Aviv in Israel. 'I stopped and just looked at those staggering numbers, penguins as far as the eye could see.
'Every beach landing just showed more and more King Penguins.'
Baby chicks can be seen huddled among the crowds of adult penguins, just small brown patches of fluff in the chilly wasteland. 
While adult penguins have an outer layer of oily feathers, the chicks are born with just layers of downy fluff and so aren't able to keep themselves warm. They require round-the-clock care for the first three weeks, and take on average between 10 and 13 months to raise. 
Although accurate counts haven't been carried out in recent years, St Andrews Bay on South Georgia has a single colony which has grown to around 500,000 King Penguins at the busiest times of year, according to AnimalCorner.co.uk. 
King Penguins are the world's second largest penguin, and are sometimes confused with the larger Emperor Penguin.   

Needy: Baby chicks can be seen huddled among the crowds of adult penguins, just small brown patches of fluff in the chilly wasteland
Needy: Baby chicks can be seen huddled among the crowds of adult penguins, just small brown patches of fluff in the chilly wasteland
Penguin antics: After photographer Roie Galitz, from Tel Aviv, captured the scale of the scene, he focused in on some of the individuals
Penguin antics: After photographer Roie Galitz, from Tel Aviv, captured the scale of the scene, he focused in on some of the individuals
Wasteland: Two King Penguins can be seen standing proudly away from their flock on the island of South Georgia, in the Atlantic Ocean
Wasteland: Two King Penguins can be seen standing proudly away from their flock on the island of South Georgia, in the Atlantic Ocean
Frosty: King Penguins flock together to share body heat, just like Emperor Penguins as immortalised in the animated film Happy Feet
Frosty: King Penguins flock together to share body heat, just like Emperor Penguins as immortalised in the animated film Happy Feet
Overcrowding: Parents and babies flock together in their hundreds of thousands, to protect the offspring from the island's bitter cold
Overcrowding: Parents and babies flock together in their hundreds of thousands, to protect the offspring from the island's bitter cold
Sensational: The vast landscapes of the island in the southern Atlantic Ocean make an ideal backdrop for Galitz's nature photography
Sensational: The vast landscapes of the island in the southern Atlantic Ocean make an ideal backdrop for Galitz's nature photography
Greedy: A baby King Penguin tries to find out if its parent has any more food for it - the chicks require round-the-clock care when newborn
Greedy: A baby King Penguin tries to find out if its parent has any more food for it - the chicks require round-the-clock care when newborn
Milling around: For at least the first three weeks of the babies' lives, they require constant care to stop them freezing to death on the island
Milling around: For at least the first three weeks of the babies' lives, they require constant care to stop them freezing to death on the island
Vast crowds: Between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins are estimated to have been at the gathering on South Georgia island
Vast crowds: Between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins are estimated to have been at the gathering on South Georgia island
Frozen: Adult penguins have an outer layer of oily feathers, but chicks are born with just layers of downy fluff and so can't keep warm
Frozen: Adult penguins have an outer layer of oily feathers, but chicks are born with just layers of downy fluff and so can't keep warm
Wildlife haven: King Penguins are the world's second largest penguin, and are sometimes confused with the larger Emperor Penguin
Wildlife haven: King Penguins are the world's second largest penguin, and are sometimes confused with the larger Emperor Penguin
Adventurous: Photographer Roie Galitz was determined to capture the enormous scale of the penguin gathering on South Georgia
Adventurous: Photographer Roie Galitz was determined to capture the enormous scale of the penguin gathering on South Georgia
Group: Galitz said: 'It was overwhelming - I stopped and just looked at those staggering numbers, penguins as far as the eyes could see'
Group: Galitz said: 'It was overwhelming - I stopped and just looked at those staggering numbers, penguins as far as the eyes could see'
Tiring:Spectacular images show the gigantic scale of penguin parenthood when part of one of the worlds largest King Penguin colonies
Tiring:Spectacular images show the gigantic scale of penguin parenthood when part of one of the worlds largest King Penguin colonies
Giant assembly: It is estimated that between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins gather for the event on the island in the southern Altantic
Giant assembly: It is estimated that between 150,000 and 250,000 King Penguins gather for the event on the island in the southern Altantic
 
Vulnerable: A line of chicks can be seen among the giant grouping, encouraged by their parents to huddle with each other for warmth
Vulnerable: A line of chicks can be seen among the giant grouping, encouraged by their parents to huddle with each other for warmth

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