WATCH: Penguins Carrying Valentines Will Melt Your Heart

[Judi Lynn]

February 14, 20187:22 PM ET

See link:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/14/585793258/watch-penguins-carrying-valentines-will-melt-your-heart

[shenmue]

1. "Encourage breeding"

Or as I like to call it, snuggle time.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Squee!

I love penguins.

[irisblue]

3. Thanks for this tonight. 💓

[BigmanPigman]

4. Wow, I needed the smile!

Thank you!

[KT2000]

5. he pointed out the hoarders!

how funny and cute they are

[StarryNite]

6. They are so precious!

[sinkingfeeling]

7. In Antarctica, the Adelies and Chinstrap penguins build their nests by

carrying pebbles from the beach. We watched as the lazier ones stole pebbles from others. One guy tried to help by bringing a huge handful of pebbles closer to the nesting area, but I didn't see any penguin taking advantage of them.

[kiri]

10. Boy/Girl penguins and pebbles

How do you tell the girl penguins from the boy penguins? I asked this question in preparation for going to Antarctica in 1960--the very early days. A distinguished biologist looked down from his spectacles and inquired, "You're going to be down there a long time. Why do you want to know?" The room erupted in laughter, and my embarrassment was red all over.

Now, it turns out that if you are a boy penguin it is not always clear. You pick up the prettiest pebble you can find and deposit it at the foot of your 'prospective' beloved. If, at this time, you are beset by a flapping of flippers and cries of disgust, you learn that you have made a horrible mistake and social faux pas, and you retreat with as much aplomb as you can muster under the circumstances.

There are lots of nice girl penguins, but pretty pebbles are few. Tomorrow is another day? Sadly, the sun day scarcely sets this time of year. Procreation is mysterious.

[sinkingfeeling]

11. How long were you in Antarctica? Where were You? I loved watching

the penguin. They are marvelous creatures. Cute and funny yet living in such an inhospitable environment. Wish I could have spent more time there.

[kiri]

12. geology in the dry valleys near McMurdo

Geology and geomorphology in the 'dry valleys' near McMurdo Sound. We found mummified penguins and seals that had wandered from the coast.

I have a few slides from an Adelie penguin's eye view when lying on my belly. They are funny creatures. Now much threated.

I am likely to be the only person presently alive to have a scar on the palm of the hand from a captured skua gull--who was annoyed while being held for pictures, and s/he bit me with that powerful, hooked beak.
Skuas eat baby penguins.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. I have a video of Skuas attacking and killing a young King chick. It was

awful for the parent trying to defend it.

[ploppy]

8. I do love penguins!

Thanks for posting, Judi Lynn.

[DangerousRhythm]

9. Thank you for posting this!

<3