That’s a lot of penguins
After the sad news that David the chimpanzee – profiled in the very first episode of Dynasties – had passed away, the concern of the series now focuses to a much colder environment, the Antarctic.
Get set to experience another intimate and intense story because the Dynasties team have documented an emperor penguin colony that has to battle to survive the cruellest winter on earth, which sees four thousand male penguins join forces in a huddle that creates a giant incubator for their eggs.
After two months the eggs hatch and the females return to relieve the starving males and feed the new chicks. The parents then take it in turns to go and feed and bring back food for their young. And eventually the chicks are old enough to adopt their father’s survival strategy: forming their own mini huddles when blizzards threaten to freeze them.
In this unforgiving climate, temperatures can reach -50°C and the winds reach speeds of 200 kilometre per hour.
As always, the production team braved the elements to bring us some absolutely spectacular footage.
Dynasties airs this Sunday on BBC1 at 20.30.
Could you hack two months of darkness?! 🐧#Dynasties pic.twitter.com/xl3Uru0Z3Z
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 14, 2018
It's not every day you get a penguin checking you out! 🐧#Dynasties pic.twitter.com/WdrOTYmYRB
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 14, 2018
