But toy-like they are not. Adelies and Emperor Penguins are the southernmost penguins in the world and are adapted to extreme conditions. In fact, male Adelies returning to their nesting site may walk across 60 miles of fast (solid) ice, through blizzards and the most bitter cold imaginable. Plus they can dive over 500 feet into the depths of the dark ocean in search of krill and small fish. These birds are tough!

Adelie Penguins face challenges from fierce predators. At sea they can be eviscerated by marauding Killer Whales and Leopard Seals - two fast and efficient predators that can chase down the tiny penguins. In fact, Adelies seem really hesitant to enter the ocean, often gathering in a group of 15 or 20, trying to gather up the courage to face the possibility of a Leopard Seal lurking just offshore. When adults are incubating eggs or raising tiny young, gull-like predators known as Skuas can attack the colony and are often successful at stealing and killing an Adelie baby. It's not an easy life.

When I encountered Adelies, they were often on small icebergs that they managed to get onto by propelling themselves like little rockets out of the sea. I also walked among Adelies in nesting colonies, where their raised nests built of pebbles are regularly spaced across the large colonies.

Adelies are capable of walking across snowfields, of course, but they often fall to their bellies and propel themselves across the snow, pushed by feet and flippers. They can slide easily down long icy slopes.

The Adelie breeding season is compressed, and the young get to go fishing by mid-February, then spend the next several years at sea before returning to the site of the home colony to breed.