A Penguin A Day: Postponed Trip
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago at 3:35 am. 0 comments
above picture from http://www.superpoop.com/ via chris.
Our ship got decomissioned. We’re taking our epic adventure in Fall 2010 instead.
Fuck you, economy.
A Penguin A Day: ROBOT PENGUINS
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago at 6:08 pm. 3 comments
OMG WANT. my birthday’s coming up… 
oh. and they found an ecosystem preserved under a glacier in antarctica
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/16/glacier-microbes.html
What will the penguins be doing?
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:59 am. 0 comments
This is roughly what the penguins will be up to while we’re there visiting. I actually had no idea that the different species did their breeding at different times of the year.
From this page:
Chinstrap penguins lay two eggs in November or December and the chicks fledge at about seven to eight weeks in late February and early March. Unlike other penguins species where the stronger chick is fed preferentially, Chinstrap parents treat both chicks equally
From Wikipedia:
Adélie Penguins arrive at their breeding grounds in January. Their nests consist of stones piled together. In December, the warmest month in Antarctica (about -2°C), the parents take turns incubating the egg; one goes to feed and the other stays to warm the egg. The parent who is incubating does not eat. In March, the adults and their young return to the sea.
From this page:
In September or October, Gentoos generally lay two eggs three days apart from each other. The second egg is often smaller than the first. Both eggs are then guarded zealously by the parents until they hatch about 5 weeks later. Chick survival is often dependent on the availability of food and the lack of predators. If food is in short supply the parents will preferentially feed the stronger of the two chicks sacrificing the weaker one. The chicks stay in the nest for about a month at which time they form nursery groups or ‘creches’, while their parents hunt for food. After about 3 months (usually in January) the chicks grow their adult feathers and are able to head out on their own.
Interesting Article about Antarctica
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 6:56 pm. 0 comments
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/antarcticland.html
There was a Wired article that basically talks about the Antarctic treaty expiring, and potentially countries trying to grab land to exploit for mining. The treaty protected this from happening, and while I’m sure they’ll be able to make a new version that keeps protecting Antarctica, there is some risk that the beauty we’re going to witness may not always be there in the future. It expires in 30 years.
So since the countries are being all super protective of their land claims, the existing settlements are pushing their individual cultures. This was pretty fucked up tho:
China’s Chang Cheng Station was inaugurated with a “dove of peace” ritual in which hundreds of Chinese pigeons were released, nearly all of which froze to death within hours.
Postapocalyptic Food Blog #13
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago at 8:57 pm. 0 comments
I’m terrible at this daily update thing! Poke at me to remind me to upload these
Map
Posted 3 months ago at 1:43 pm. 4 comments
This is where we’re going. Can we survive? Half of us get confused when there’s any sort of liquid coming from the sky.. how will we deal with snow and wind and jumping into the polar seas?
Postapocalyptic Food Blog #12
Posted 3 months ago at 7:35 pm. 1 comment
gummi bears are always a good meal.
A Penguin A Day: The Penguin Returns
Posted 3 months ago at 7:33 pm. 0 comments
The Penguin Returns by *-aster on deviantART
