1. There are few places harder to get to
in this world.
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2. But there aren't any
where it's harder to live.
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3. The average temperature here
at the bottom of the Earth...
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4. is a balmy 58 degrees below.
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5. That's when the sun is out.
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6. It wasn't always like this.
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7. Antarctica used to be a tropical place...
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8. densely forested and teeming with life.
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9. But then the continent
started to drift south.
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10. And by the time it was done drifting...
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11. the dense forests had all been replaced
with a new ground cover:
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12. Ice.
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13. As for the former inhabitants.
they had all died or moved on long ago.
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14. Well, almost all of them.
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15. Legend has it that one tribe
stayed behind.
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16. Perhaps they thought the change
in weather was only temporary.
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17. Or maybe they were just stubborn.
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18. But whatever their reasons.
these stalwart souls refused to leave.
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19. For millions of years
they have made their home...
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20. on the darkest, driest, windiest
and coldest continent on Earth.
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21. And they've done so pretty much alone.
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22. So in some ways
this is a story of survival.
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23. A tale of life over death.
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24. But it's more than that, really.
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25. This is a story about love.
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26. Like most love stories, it begins
with an act of utter foolishness.
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27. The emperor penguin
is technically a bird.
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28. Although one that makes his home
in the sea.
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29. So if you're wondering
what he's doing up here on the ice...
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30. well, that's part of our story.
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31. Each year at around the same time...
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32. he will leave the comfort
of his ocean home...
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33. and embark
on a remarkable journey.
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34. He will travel a great distance...
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35. and though he is a bird.
he won't fly.
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36. Though he lives in the sea.
he won't swim.
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37. Mostly, he will walk.
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38. But he won't walk alone.
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39. It is March.
Summer is over.
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40. And another long polar winter
is about to begin.
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41. The birds have been feeding
in the ocean waters for three months.
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42. Now, their bellies full...
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43. it is time to find a mate.
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44. Their breeding ground can be
up to 70 miles away.
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45. To get there they will walk
day and night continuously.
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46. Sometimes for a week.
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47. It is a long, dangerous
and seemingly impossible journey.
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48. And some of them will not survive it.
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49. Nonetheless, when the last of the clan
has finally clamored onto the ice...
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50. their long march will begin...
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51. just as it has for thousands of years.
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52. The destination is always the same.
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53. Their path, however, is not.
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54. The ice on which the birds travel
never stops shifting and changing.
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55. New roadblocks will appear
to baffle them every year.
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56. We're not exactly sure
how they find their way.
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57. Perhaps they were assisted by the sun.
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58. Or the stars.
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59. Or maybe having taken this march
for thousands of generations...
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60. they are guided by some invisible
compass within them.
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61. They never stay stumped for long.
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62. Eventually, one of them
will pick up the trail.
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63. And the journey continues.
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64. When they get tired of walking.
they'll give their feet a rest.
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65. They'll use their bellies instead.
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66. Theirs is usually a graceful parade.
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67. But not always.
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68. Each day the temperature drops
a little further.
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69. And the sun will set earlier.
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70. The weather becomes noticeably harsher
almost by the hour.
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71. By now similar caravans are approaching
from every direction.
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72. And finally, often on the same day...
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73. even around the same time...
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74. they will arrive at the place where
each and every one of them was born.
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75. Here they will mate in relative safety.
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76. They are now far from the water's edge
where most predators lurk.
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77. And the large ice walls will offer
some protection from the harshest winds.
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78. But the real reason
they have chosen this place...
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79. lies beneath their feet.
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80. The ice is thicker here.
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81. It will stay solid until summer...
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82. keeping their young
from accidentally falling through...
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83. into the freezing ocean.
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84. And so, having arrived...
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85. they begin to pursue
their journey's purpose:
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86. Finding a mate.
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87. We don't really know
what they're looking for in a partner.
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88. We only know that they are.
in fact, looking.
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89. We also know when they've found
what they're looking for.
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90. Emperor penguins are monogamous.
Sort of.
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91. They mate with only one partner
per year.
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92. Which means every new season.
all bets are off.
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93. Because there are fewer males
than females here...
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94. hostilities among the ladies
are inevitable.
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95. A taken male instantly
becomes an unavailable male.
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96. So occasionally, a female will attempt
to interrupt a courtship.
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97. The men don't seem to mind.
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98. They just wait for the fight to end
and take the opportunity to preen.
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99. They're not that different from us, really.
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100. They pout.
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101. They bellow.
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102. They strut.
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103. And occasionally, they will engage
in some contact sports.
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104. Within a few weeks.
one way or the other...
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105. most of the animals have found
the one they are looking for.
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106. For the next eight months...
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107. these two will participate
in an ancient and complicated affair.
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108. There will be tenderness.
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109. There will be separation.
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110. There will be reunion.
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111. And if their partnership is successful.
there will be new life.
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112. For now, they wait...
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113. for the egg and for the brutal winter...
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114. which will do everything in its power
to destroy that egg.
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115. By May the light will nearly
have disappeared from the sky...
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116. and the temperature
continues to drop.
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117. And for those who began
their march too late...
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118. or have fallen behind
because of weakness or hunger...
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119. hope of survival is now remote.
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120. The lone penguin has no chance
against the winter's cold.
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121. He will simply fade away...
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122. absorbed by the great whiteness
all around him.
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123. As winter descends...
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124. the tribe's only defense
against the freezing cold...
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125. is the group itself.
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126. It is almost as if they create
another organism altogether.
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127. The huddled animals form
a single moving mass...
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128. one designed for the sole purpose
of sustaining warmth.
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129. Winter's first storm is upon them.
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130. Within a few weeks, days begin to pass
with virtually no light at all.
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131. Moons come and go
in the soon-to-be-endless night.
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132. And finally, one day in early June...
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133. we remember why they came here.
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134. As soon as the egg appears.
it is instantly hidden from the cold.
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135. The tiny beating heart
within the shell cannot survive...
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136. much more than a moment's exposure
to the freezing air.
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137. From now on, the couple has
but a single goal:
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138. Keeping their egg alive.
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139. The hungry mother must return at once
to the sea to eat.
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140. But before she leaves.
she must entrust the egg to its father.
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141. Some, young couples, perhaps.
are too impulsive or rushed.
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142. And within moments.
their affair comes to an end.
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143. They can only watch...
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144. as the ice claims their egg...
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145. and the life within it.
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146. This couple's partnership is now over.
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147. The long march in vain.
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148. With no reason to stay...
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149. they will wander back to the sea.
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150. Other couples have lost their egg as well.
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151. As for the others...
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152. their partnership is about to change.
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153. With unending patience...
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154. the pair rehearses the steps
they will need to transfer the egg...
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155. from the mother to the father.
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156. They practice this clumsy ballet
dozens of times if need be.
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157. And then, with great care...
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158. they will dance it.
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159. And now begins one of nature's
most incredible...
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160. and endearing role reversals.
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161. It is the penguin male
who will tend the couple's single egg.
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162. While the mother feeds and gathers food
to bring back for the newborn...
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163. it is the father who will shield the egg
from the violent winds and cold.
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164. He will make a nest for the egg
atop his own claws...
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165. keeping it safe and warm
beneath a flap of skin on his belly.
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166. And he will do this
for more than two months.
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167. Having passed the egg...
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168. the exhausted female
must depart quickly.
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169. She must eat soon or she will die.
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170. As the winter progresses...
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171. the father will be severely tested.
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172. The mother will be tested as well.
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173. Her return trip to the sea
is considerably more difficult...
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174. than the original march
to the nesting ground.
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175. It is colder now.
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176. And she will have lost almost a third
of her body weight producing the egg.
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177. She is literally starving.
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178. Of course, the fathers
are nearly starving too.
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179. But for them, a meal is far off
in the distance.
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180. By the time their vigil
atop the egg is over...
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181. the penguin fathers will have gone
without food of any kind...
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182. for over 125 days.
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183. And they will have endured
one of the most violent...
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184. and deadly winters on Earth.
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185. All for the chick.
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186. As the fathers settle into their long wait
at the breeding ground...
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187. the winter's second storm arrives.
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188. The temperature is now 80 degrees
below zero.
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189. That's without taking into account
the wind...
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190. which can blow 100 miles an hour.
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191. Though they can be aggressive
during the rest of the year...
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192. at this time
the males are totally docile.
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193. A united and cooperative team...
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194. they brace against the storm by merging
their thousand bodies into a single mass.
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195. They will take turns...
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196. each of them getting to spend some
time near the center of their huddle...
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197. where it's warmer.
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198. As they move about...
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199. the fathers will balance their eggs
like tightrope walkers.
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200. The exhausted mothers
have marched 70 miles.
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201. They are now back
where they started three months ago.
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202. But they aren't anywhere near
the water's edge.
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203. New ice is formed along the shore...
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204. forcing them to walk several more miles
before they reach the sea.
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205. Food is actually
only a few inches below them.
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206. But they have no way
of getting to it here.
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207. To survive they must reach
the new ice edge...
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208. or find some other opening.
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209. Sometimes this search will last for days.
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210. Naturally, after their long walk.
they are eager to get back in the water.
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211. Sometimes a little too eager.
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212. They can hold their breath
for over 15 minutes...
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213. and dive to a depth of 1700 feet...
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214. approaching the sea floor itself
to feed on fish, krill and squid.
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215. They will also skim along the ice
just below the ocean's surface...
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216. searching for any fish
that may have lodged there.
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217. While the mothers finally
fill their empty bellies...
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218. the fathers cling to life
on the surface...
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219. trying to keep the eggs
safe and warm.
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220. The wind will occasionally bring snow
to quench the males' thirst.
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221. They have been without food now
for over three months.
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222. Each day brings them closer
to exhaustion and starvation.
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223. Eventually some.
usually the older ones...
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224. will simply fall asleep...
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225. and disappear.
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226. Now it is dark almost all the time.
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227. And the mother of all blizzards
is about to arrive.
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228. The fathers now make an extra effort...
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229. to weld their bodies together
and resist the winter's rage.
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230. Above them, the southern lights
dance virtually around the clock.
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231. For now there is almost only night.
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232. The hungry mothers aren't the only ones
overjoyed by their return to the sea.
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233. Their predators, unfortunately.
are happy to have them back as well.
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234. With a snap of its jaws...
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235. the leopard seal
actually takes two lives.
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236. That of the trapped mother...
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237. and that of her unborn chick
who will never be fed.
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238. By July the females know
it is time to return to their nest.
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239. And so, for the third time this year.
the mothers take the long walk.
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240. Only this time...
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241. they walk in the dark.
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242. The ravenous and freezing night lingers...
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243. seemingly without end.
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244. Until finally...
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245. the darkness begins
its slow retreat.
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246. After many months, light returns
in earnest to the South Pole.
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247. But only momentarily.
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248. And yet...
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249. it is enough.
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250. Their victory over winter has begun.
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251. Their efforts have not been in vain.
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252. Though the light is returning...
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253. the winter is far from over.
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254. The worst is, actually, yet to come.
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255. No matter how cold it is.
or how hungry they are...
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256. the fathers must keep moving.
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257. If they don't, they will die.
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258. But then...
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259. Each day more eggs will hatch.
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260. But this chick is hungry.
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261. He needs the food
in his mother's belly.
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262. But his father is hungry too.
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263. He hasn't eaten
in nearly four months now.
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264. If his mate doesn't arrive soon.
he will be forced to abandon his child...
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265. and return to the sea
to feed himself.
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266. He will have no choice.
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267. But there is one secret weapon
against his newborn's hunger.
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268. The father coughs up a milky substance.
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269. Despite his own hunger.
this tiny meal has been relegated...
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270. to a small crease in his throat...
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271. just for this moment.
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272. This little banquet will keep the chick
alive for a day, perhaps two.
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273. Hopefully, long enough
for the mother to arrive.
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274. For some it is already too late.
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275. The mothers step up their rhythm...
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276. as if sensing the urgency.
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277. They shuffle along
as quickly as possible...
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278. hauling their overstuffed bellies
one last mile.
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279. And then, at last, they are back.
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280. To find each other
in the enormous crowd...
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281. the penguins must rely
on sound, not sight.
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282. As they circle.
the returning mothers trumpet loudly...
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283. and wait for their mates
to call back.
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284. The sound is deafening.
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285. And yet, somehow, each of them
will hear their mate's song.
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286. The couple has found one another.
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287. The mother sees her chick
for the first time.
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288. And at last...
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289. the family is together.
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290. And just as they did with the egg...
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291. the parents now quickly pass off
the newborn from one to the other.
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292. Now it is the mother's turn to protect
her chick from the fierce cold.
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293. The father and his chick
sing to one another...
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294. making sure
each knows the other's voice.
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295. It is the only way the two will find
each other when the father returns.
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296. As the chick enjoys his first real meal...
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297. the father prepares to sever
the bond between them.
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298. It's not easy to do.
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299. The fathers have gone without food
for over four months.
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300. They will have lost
as much as half their weight.
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301. But still they must walk...
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302. for over 70 miles.
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303. This leg of the journey may be why
they are fewer males than females.
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304. Each year some of these new fathers
will not make it back to the sea.
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305. Like the sun, the chicks
grow stronger every day.
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306. But they are not yet ready
to leave their mothers.
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307. In time, after being perched atop their
mother's feet for a thousand paces...
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308. like a child learning to dance
on her mother's shoes...
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309. the chick takes
his first steps alone.
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310. With the wind's return...
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311. the temperature drops.
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312. This year, winter's going out
with a bang.
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313. This is the first storm
for the new chicks...
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314. and many of them will not survive it.
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315. When the winds stop...
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316. the search for lost chicks begins.
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317. Some have kept warm
by huddling together.
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318. Others have not been so lucky.
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319. The loss is unbearable.
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320. Every year some bereft mother
will respond to her agony...
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321. in an unimaginable way.
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322. Having lost her own chick...
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323. she will attempt to steal another's.
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324. But the group will not allow it.
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325. Back in its mother's care.
the chick is not eager to leave again.
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326. Despite having known
each other only a few days...
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327. the bond between mother
and child is surprisingly strong.
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328. In the next few weeks...
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329. it will only grow stronger.
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330. Winter's grip slowly weakens...
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331. and the chicks begin to run free.
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332. Some need a little encouragement.
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333. But eventually...
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334. they all find their way.
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335. Winter may have ended...
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336. but the dangers have not.
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337. It is late August now.
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338. And time for the mothers
to return and feed once more.
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339. For some...
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340. this development is unacceptable.
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341. But it is also non-negotiable.
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342. Because they are old enough now...
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343. the chicks are left alone
for the first time.
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344. As spring arrives...
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345. the ice packs near the ocean's edge
begin to melt...
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346. shortening the distance between
the sea and the breeding ground.
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347. It isn't long before the fathers return...
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348. their bellies heavy with food.
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349. The chicks will gather at once
to meet them...
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350. and sound their calls.
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351. The returning fathers will circle
the excited newborns and listen...
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352. until he hears his chick's call.
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353. Some will never find their chick.
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354. The newborn will have died...
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355. from cold or hunger...
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356. or at the hands of some predator.
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357. But for those
that do find their young...
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358. the reunion is a joyful one.
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359. And, very quickly, the young chick's belly
will be full again.
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360. For the next several months.
the parents will take turns...
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361. shuttling back and forth
to the sea for food.
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362. And occasionally...
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363. the new family can actually
spend some time together.
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364. By September the ice has begun
to thin and crack.
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365. The sea gets closer, allowing the parents
to go back and forth more frequently.
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366. The chicks' new coat of feathers
is now thick and full...
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367. enough to protect them on their own.
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368. And by November the ocean is within
a few hundred yards...
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369. of the breeding ground.
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370. As the ice melts...
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371. the brand-new family prepares
to go their separate ways.
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372. The couples, locked for
the past nine months...
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373. in their ancient ritual
of coming and going...
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374. will now part for the last time.
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375. And as their newest members look on...
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376. the tribe returns to their home, at last.
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377. For the next three months...
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378. they will lavish in the rich and warmish
waters of their short summer.
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379. They will feed...
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380. and they will play.
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381. And in all likelihood...
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382. their chicks
will never see them again.
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383. They will remain here alone and
unsupervised for a few more weeks...
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384. growing stronger.
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385. The ice continues to melt...
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386. returning the borrowed water
to the sea.
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387. And beckoning the young penguins...
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388. into the ocean as well.
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389. It is now December...
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390. and they are ready to leave the place
where they were born.
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391. And although they have
never known the ocean...
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392. nor touched it...
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393. they, like their parents...
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394. are of the sea.
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395. And so one day...
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396. they'll take the plunge...
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397. and go home for the first time.
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398. For four years.
the chicks will live at sea.
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399. But as the sunlight begins to disappear
at the end of their fifth year...
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400. and the warm days begin to cool...
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401. they, too, will climb out of the water.
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402. And they will march...
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403. just as they have done for centuries...
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404. ever since the emperor penguin
decided to stay...
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405. to live and love...
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406. in the harshest place on Earth.
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