Macaroni Penguins Swim, Surf, and Dodge Seals to Survive – Ep. 2 | Wildlife: Resurrection Island
Imagine having to surf to get home. Then imagine doing it after swimming 300 miles in the roughest ocean on the planet. Not to mention the seals waiting for their chance to rip your little head off. This is just a single day in the extraordinary life of the macaroni penguin. How is it possible that life can come back from the dead? The island of South Georgia was the scene of one of the worst wildlife massacres in history: species driven to near extinction. The whaling stations were abandoned. This is an all inspiring story of how, if given the chance, Nature can bounce back on a scale you're not going to believe.
My name's Bertie Gregory, and I'm a National Geographic wildlife filmmaker. This is Resurrection Island.
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This place is the holy grail of wildlife filmmaking. As at this time of year, it's home to one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the planet. Right now, over two million macaroni penguins are returning to raise their young ones after swimming miles in search of prey. These little guys need to reach their chicks at the top of the cliff. Giant waves, razor-sharp rocks, and hungry seals may kiss no piece of cake. The Maxime skittish. Something is spooking them, but I don't think it's me.
With a predator on the hunt, they must aim and shoot to get on that. The anglers and totally bonkers make it to cheese. The biggest way begins the beguine. Run a monitor onto the rocks, flip right over. They come through all underwater, visible. He disappears. Try again. They get sloshed. Shoot and hope you land at the right rock.
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It might be tiny, but they're tough to keep up with. Though it shows this to the insurance company, there's no time to chill. The chicks are waiting for food, and there's still a long way to go. The Macs have got to be much more than just pro surfers; they need to be mountain climbers too.
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Completing their first mission down on the giant wavy rock, they've now got to make their way up to the colony, up to where the nests are. But they've got a bit of a secret route down here. It's like being in some kind of fairytale. Finally home, they still have to find their family. And of course, don't even think to ask your neighbor.
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It's just so horrible for their neighbors. Every time a stray runs through, that right there is what this is all about. Just underneath that adult, my panda is a little gray chick. It is so funny; anytime any of the other adults comes anywhere near the next adult, it's like, “No, no, no, not here!” It just pecks it to pieces. Yes, Mum's made it back. It's crazy to think that this pair returns to exactly the same nest year after year.
Unfortunately, these penguins don't have much family time. The parents must divvy up daycare, and now it's Dad's turn to go out to sea. The trek out to sea is packed full of its own dangers, so the Macs need to tread carefully. Fur seals feed mainly on fish, squid, and krill, but on very rare occasions, they hunt on land.
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You know, it's not often you see something that raw. Unfortunately, whilst that little macaroni that was being thrashed around did manage to get away from the first seal, it hasn't survived. It's being eaten by a giant petrel, and that's the circle of life. The giant petrel's got its own chicks to feed, and I think the takeaway from that encounter was not the one that hasn't survived, but it's the one macaroni that then stood up to that same predator. In the face of danger, it just said, “Come at me, wings out.”
You know, the bravery, the sass that these penguins have got is just remarkable, and it will produce chicks that have equal amounts of sass. And that is what natural selection is all about. It's survival of the fittest; only the best will go on to produce offspring. Climate change is affecting ocean currents and forcing Macs to swim further and further for food tied to their nesting islands. This ultimately means less food for the chicks.
So despite their toughness, Macs are declining in number. Even for this massive colony, Big Mac, the future remains uncertain for this special little species.
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