Because her piercing voice can crack stones, people also call Chinstrap Penguin, “Stonecracker”. Besides her distinctive voice, Chinstrap Penguin has a noticeable thin black strap of feathers across the bottom of her face. Like other many Penguins, She toboggans across the ice on her stomach or flies through the water with her flippers. Living on large icebergs in the open ocean, Chinstrap Penguin dives off the ice edge to catch Krill.
Considered the boldest Penguin of all, Chinstrap Penguin, one of the Brush-tailed (Pygoscelis) Penguins, will fight with other Penguins. In a dispute over nesting stones with another Penguin, She first stares, then points her beak at the offender, and finally charges, knocking her rival over. Some of her bold behavior comes from running a gauntlet of Leopard Seals, who lurk nearby waiting for an unsuspecting Penguin to swim by.
Spying a Leopard Seal, Chinstrap Penguin confers with her fellow Penguins on their ice floe about what to do next. Braying “LEOPARD SEAL!!”, She urges her Friends in the water to frantically jump ashore or on to an ice floe for safety. Meanwhile, Everyone else gang up by the hundreds on their ice floe to wait out Seal. No Chinstrap Penguin moves until Leopard Seal gives up and swims away.
Sir Ernest Shackleton, who sailed a lifeboat from the Antarctic to South Georges Island for help in 1915, left behind the 22 men of his Polar Expedition. When he finally returned with aid several months later, he found all his men alive. For food, they had subsisted on Chinstrap Penguins. Afterwards, Shackleton forever felt kindly towards Chinstrap Penguin for keeping his men alive.
Chinstrap Penguin displays unexpected kindness in many ways. Unlike many other Penguins, Chinstrap Penguin raises both of her Chicks. In shifts, Mother and Father Chinstrap Penguin incubate their Eggs, and then feed both Chicks until They grow up.
Chinstrap Penguin teaches people to be bold. This little Penguin trumpets a loud noise to tell everyone look out, “I’m Here!” Sometimes her boldness covers her fear of Leopard Seal who she avoids. Learn all aspects of boldness from Chinstrap Penguin. Just do not make a lot of noise doing it.
Purchase adult and children's books and DVDs on penguins from Amazon.com. The first book is about chinstrap penguins.
Va. Carper
March 4, 2008