Journeys with Emperors

Gerald L. Kooyman and Jim Mastro
The University of Chicago Press, £25.00

Antarctica: the coldest, driest and windiest place on earth. And superlatives may also be applied to the emperor penguin. The authors relate a model account of how to conduct a long-term research project on a wild species in a challenging environment – one requiring patience, diligence, creativity and powers of acute observation.

Their research was to define the natural history and life cycle of Aptenodytes forsteri , the most isolated of the Spheniscidae, which lives entirely in the sea or on sea ice, with the primary aim to investigate behaviour and physiology. Emperor penguins were first observed in 1820, and the first breeding colony in 1902, meaning they are relatively new to nature study. Golden-breasted and the largest of the penguins, they breed and incubate their eggs entirely in the dark, a task undertaken by the non-territorial males who huddle to keep warm in temperatures of -50°C.

They have remarkably large feet, yet only five square centimetres of each foot remains in contact with the ice while brooding, as they rock backwards on a padded heel packed with air cells. Unique adaptations also apply to their physiology, which enables them to dive to depths of over 500m for around 20 minutes at a time. Kooyman adapted a depth recorder used on Weddell seals for his research on the emperor penguins, and much of the statistical details are related in the text along with 12 pages of colour photographs, monochrome prints and references to appropriate online videos. This accomplished book with its captivating descriptions and good science has intensified my admiration for this unique bird.

Jean Wilson MBE C.Biol FRSB

Reviewed by marine biologist Jean Wilson MBE C.Biol FRSB