The Chinstrap Colony of Sando Point, Antarctica
Category: Nature
Photo and caption by Bojil Vassilev
Penguins making the most of the scarce land and raising their chicks in a dense grid of nests. The distance between nests is strictly determined by the maximum distance an adult penguin can expel his poo. Chinstrap penguins are able to generate considerable pressure to propel their faeces away from their nest. Polar scientists Meyer-Rochow and Jozsef Gal calculate the pressure at around 10 kPa, well above that known for humans and permitting the 60 cm tall penguins to defecate as far as 40 cm away from their nest. The reason for this behavior remains unknown.
Location: Sando Point, Livingston Island, Antarctica
