March of the Penguins a 2005 documentary on the emperor penguins of Antarctica is out on DVD.  People love penguins I think due to the fact they look like they are dressed in a tuxedo. If you would like to know more about penguins this documentary is excellent.  It tells of their walk from the ocean to their yearly breeding grounds inland, a 62-mile trek.

The emperor penguins have a specific location that is protected from the elements of the strong winds and the ice is solid year round and can support the colony.  It is here that the mating begins between the male and female penguin.  A single egg is laid and it takes the cooperation of both parents to survive.   The male penguin is a hands on dad, when the egg is laid, the female transfers it to the feet of the male to protect for the next couple of months.  The female returns to the ocean to acquire food for herself and the chick upon her return.

The males huddle together once the egg has been passed onto them for warmth and survival of the harsh cold.  If the egg touches the ice, it freezes almost instantly.  When the female returns, the chicks have been born and the female stays to bond while the male leaves to acquire food for the chick.

If a female's chick dies, sometimes she tries to steal another chick.   One parent sometimes abandons chicks and all they can do is wait for the other one to return.  On the long treks back and forth from the breeding ground to the ocean, penguins struggle to survive and some do die from predators or exhaustion.