NATURE'S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
HIGHLY HONORED
OCEANS
Adélie Penguins
Pygoscelis adeliae
Learn more about Pygoscelis adeliae from the Encyclopedia of Life
Paulet Island, Antarctica
By Marcus Lindenlaub
Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Home to one of the largest Adélie penguin colonies, Paulet is a volcanic island on the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Named for the wife of French explorer Jules d’Urville, Adélie penguins are mid-sized about 18 to 30 inches tall and weigh between 8.5 and 13 pounds. The flightless birds approach the shoreline at high speeds to avoid getting caught by leopard seals patrolling along the ice edge.
“I was photographing with a long lens when I saw a group of penguins in the ocean coming toward me. I immediately grabbed a second camera body equipped with a wide-angle zoom lens. I had only a few seconds to change the camera settings before the penguins began shooting up out of the water right in front of me.” —ML
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III; EF 24-70mm ƒ/2.8L USM lens at 24mm; 1/1600 sec at ƒ/9; ISO 640; hand-held.