Penguin March — Emperor Colony Aerial
41,895.50 ¥
An aerial view of an emperor penguin colony in Antarctica — thousands of birds in their winter breeding huddle, the colony a dark mass against the white ice shelf.
Description
Emperor penguins breed during the Antarctic winter — one of the most extreme environments any vertebrate animal occupies for reproduction. This aerial photograph, made from a drone operated from a fixed ice research platform with full Antarctic Treaty Environmental Protocol authorisation, captures approximately 8,000 individuals in the characteristic breeding huddle that maintains colony core temperatures 24°C above the surrounding -50°C air. The individual birds at the huddle periphery are clearly resolved while the colony interior shows the distinctive dark mass of the packed birds seen from above. The geometric relationship between the colony’s dark oval mass and the white ice shelf creates a composition of stark environmental directness.
