Young emperor penguin chicks were seen making their initial dive into the icy waters of the Antarctic Peninsula, captured on camera for the first time by National Geographic cinematographer Bertie Gregory.
During a two-month expedition, Gregory documented these flightless birds as they prepared for a critical rite of passage known as “Fledging.”
Fledging, the process where baby penguins take their first swim, typically involves smaller, less daunting jumps. But this recent footage revealed a group of emperor penguin chicks approaching the egde of a steep 50-foot cliff, which is an unusually high jump for these young birds.
The video captures the tense moments as the chicks cautiously inch toward the brink before plunging into the frigid Antarctic waters below.
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