01. Photographer pick: Natalia Del Rio
Natalia has shot on practically every continent and environment on the planet. As written on her personal website, “I am a Nature lover, all Nature: landscapes, animals and plants, humans included. I prefer the wilderness, be it cold or warm, mainly the former because I can find less human influence.” More information on her can be found at nataliadelrio.com, or give her a follow on Instagram @nataliadelriogalvan.
The emperor penguin is the largest species of penguin in the world today, standing at nearly four feet tall. However, there were human-sized penguins around 30 million years ago in New Zealand. Photo by Natalia Del Rio
02. Article pick: The Galapagos penguin, one of the world's rarest, sees a glimmer of hope
This article from National Geographic by Christine Peterson goes into detail on the Galapagos penguin, one of the rarest and strangest subspecies of penguin. As recently as 2010, the future of the tropical island bird was uncertain, due to various factors such as human interference and different climate-related events. But then, Galapagos biologist P. Dee Boersma and a team of fellow scientists began conservation efforts to help boost the penguin’s population, to encouraging results. The article also goes into detail about the peculiar nature of the Galapagos penguin, such as why a bird species known for cold environments ended up on an island chain located near the equator.
03. Book pick: The Great Penguin Rescue
“The Great Penguin Rescue” details the efforts by volunteers to rescue penguins after an oil spill contaminated the habitat of 75,000 penguins in South Africa. Author Dyan deNapoli, known as “The Penguin Lady,” was one of thousands of volunteers from around the world who traveled to South Africa for cleanup efforts. The 2000 MV Treasure Oil Spill spilt up to 1,300 tons of oil into the ocean, and this book chronicles the extensive effort made to mitigate the impact it had on the penguin population. Dyan deNapoli is a penguin expert who has written several books and had Nat Geo and TED talks about penguins. More information on her can be found at thepenguinlady.com.
04. Video pick: Antarctica - Tales From The End Of The World
“Antarctica - Tales From The End Of The World” is a 2016 nature documentary directed by Anneliese Possberg and Annette Scheurich which explores Antarctica and the harsh environment that Emperor Penguins and other animals live and thrive in. Though ostensibly about wildlife in Antarctica in general, it focuses on penguins.
A notable accompaniment in this category is the documentary “Encounters at the End of the World” by acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog. Though it focuses less on penguins than “Antarctica - Tales From The End Of The World,” Herzog’s documentary does feature penguins and includes a fascinating and heartbreaking scene of a male penguin wandering into the depth of the Antarctic land, away from other penguins and food sources in what can only be described as a suicide.
05. Quote of the Week
“One can't be angry when one looks at a penguin.”
— John Ruskin