The first penguin chicks of this season have appeared near the Ukrainian Antarctic station Akademik Vernadsky, the National Antarctic Research Center reported , showing a photo, UNN writes.
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"Get ready for an incredible cuteness: the first penguin chicks of this season were born near the Akademik Vernadsky station. Look how sweet they are," the center noted.
Svitozar Davydenko, a biologist with the 29th UAE, found two babies in the nest where the first eggs appeared - on a rock near the geocosmos research laboratory.
Now, the babies will stay in the nest with their parents for about a month. The latter will take turns caring for them: feeding them krill from the beak, keeping them warm and protecting them from birds of prey, the center says.
"Newborn penguins are covered with gray fluff. They will start changing it to the usual black and white feathers in about a month. Later, they will gather in "nurseries" - small groups of children, which will be supervised by several adults. Usually by this time, the kids have already reached the size of their parents and continue to actively beg for food. Sometimes it looks very funny when a penguin dad or mom runs away from annoying children, and they catch up with them to eat," the center told.
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The Galindez Island, where the station is located, is dominated by sub-Antarctic penguins - there are now reportedly about 4,000 of them. Each pair usually lays 2 eggs. Ukrainian biologists observe these birds in the context of climate change, as the growth and advancement of their nesting colonies to the South is one of the indisputable proofs of warming in the Antarctic