With the day of love just on the horizon, Romeos and Juliets around the world will have romance on the mind in the lead up to Valentine’s Day. This got us thinking about true love in Antarctica, one of our favourite cruise destinations, which is why we’ve put together a special post all about love – AE Expeditions style.
Penguins finding true love
We weren’t joking about true love in Antarctica. In the wild, there aren’t many animals that can count ‘monogamous’ as one of their traits. However, amongst the ranks of the romantically faithful is the adorable Gentoo penguin.
This specific type of penguin is characterised by its red-orange beak and bright feet, as well as a white feather cap on their head. As noted by National Geographic, they come in as the third-largest penguin in the world, with the waddling bird measuring up to 76 centimetres when they are fully grown.
Feb 8, 2016 at 12:57pm PST
In order to attract a mate, the male Gentoo penguin will make a trumpeting sound, and should the lucky man have captured the attention of a female, the pair will both point their bills in the direction of the nest.
When Gentoo Penguins find their other half, the bond is a lasting one. Together, they work to create a nest, gathering together such materials as grass, stones, feathers and moss – a collaborative effort not often seen in the animal kingdom.
The females will lay two spherical eggs, with the nurturing parents taking it in turns to incubate the eggs for over a month. This sense of shared duty continues, with both mum and dad chipping in to help forage and brood with their young ones.
If you’d like to embark on a journey of a lifetime to Antarctica with your loved one and visit a Gentoo penguin rookery, get in touch with the team from AE Expeditions or download your free Antarctica brochure to check our itineraries.
