I haven't seen this particular product (which hasn't been released yet), but I've seen BBC's three-part documentary about the lives, times and contretemps of penguins. I must say that these flightless birds are both interesting and fascinating!
We get to follow the entire life cycle of three penguin species: the Emperor
Penguin of Antarctica, the Humboldt Penguin of Peru and the Rockhopper of the
Falkland Islands. The two latter live really rough lives, attacked by an
assortment of vicious predators and competing sea birds, the Humboldt Penguins
even being forced to cope with vampire bats. Another classic is a battle
between over-sized ducks and five eagles, with a poor Rockhopper stuck in
between! It seems juvenile albatrosses don't say no to catching some penguin
meat, either. (Always wondered what albatrosses were eating out there?)
As for the Emperor Penguins, they really do look like strange humans in tuxedo,
while their chicks look like badly made toys... Sorry, can't help
anthropomorphizing. The documentary shows how the adults deliberately abandon
the chicks, in order to trigger the latter's survival instincts. On their difficult
journey to the sea, the Emperor chicks are escorted by Adélie Penguins, a
different species. Why would one species want to help the chicks of another
one? Pardon my cynicism, but I think the helpful Adélies simply want to get rid
of the Emperor Penguins from what they consider Adélie territory.
The documentary was taped with the help of spy cams disguised as (you've
guessed it) penguins or penguin eggs, creating all kinds of humorous
situations. One penguin attacks a spy cam which spurned his amorous advances,
while one of the egg-cameras is taken by a flying seabird, giving us an
excellent panoramic view of the penguin colony from above!
Probably this year's best nature documentary. This is Penguin Power and
definitely worth five stars. Let's hope the DVD is as good as the televised
version...
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