A Gentoo Penguin's Gentle Question
Updated: Nov 17, 2020
GENTOO: You and I eat the same things. Fish. Squid. Krill.
ME: Never heard of krill.
GENTOO: Small shrimp. Pink-orange, opaque, with big black eyes.
ME: Shrimp? Oh, I love shrimp. I eat shrimp all the time.
GENTOO: That’s what I am saying.
ME: Fish too. I love fish. Plenty in the ocean for ALL of us.
GENTOO: Takes me 450 dives a day to find them.
ME: No way.
GENTOO: Way.
ME: Can’t you dive deeper?
GENTOO: I dive six hundred feet, stay below for 7 minutes. Can’t you eat less?
Fun facts about Gentoo penguins: Yes, they do dive about 450 times a day to catch fish. They do eat shrimp and krill. They live in the Antarctic and the nearby islands. They are ungainly (they waddle on land) but are exceptional divers and swimmers. With their red-orange beaks and matching orange feet, they are strikingly attractive.
They form long-lasting bonds and are very, very good parents.
ME: Heard you fell in love. Who is the lucky lady?
GENTOO: [SHYLY] Over there. On our nest of stones, grass, feathers. See her?
ME: She is LOVELY! Beautiful! What a red-orange beak! What pink-orange feet!
GENTOO: [EVEN MORE SHYLY] We have two eggs.
ME: Congratulations!
GENTOO: Hatch in a month.
ME: Are you excited?
GENTOO: Skuas nearby. Those birds are horrible. They prey on baby Gentoos. How will I take care of my chicks once they hatch? Will the skuas get my baby while I'm gone?
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