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March of the Juveniles

Emperor penguin chicks hatch into the frozen world of Antarctica—one of Earth’s most inhospitable places. A recent study reveals what the juveniles do in the critical early months when they leave their birth colony and first learn how to swim, dive, and find food. The animals initially moved far north to reach open water areas and warmer waters. Once the juveniles became more experienced at diving, they headed south, entered the sea ice zone where they spent the winter months making deeper dives within sea ice. (Photo by Sara Labrousse, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)