got laid

…the first penguin eggs of the season, that is! Look at these proud parents:

I am very excited. That’s easy for me to say, because unlike these penguins I don’t have to spend the next month fasting while I diligently keep my gestating baby warm, simultaneously fending off predators. It’s going to be a long haul for these little Adelies, a species whose numbers have steadily dropped by 80% in this region since 1975. Declines in krill, their number one food source, mean their bellies are already a little empty when they start fasting. And the decline in population means that each colony is more exposed to predatory birds like Skuas.

Seriously, everywhere you look here it’s like a quintessential nature documentary. You can practically hear David Attenborough’s voice with every breeze.

I’m in Antarctica! Click here to read my polar posts for SeaMonster, or visit xyzena.com for even more updates and photos from the bottom of the globe.