The rocky, windswept and remote South Georgia Island lies more than 1,000 miles east of the tip of South America. Massive storms frequently roll through this region, whipping the Southern Ocean into one of the angriest seas on Earth.
In spite of the harsh conditions, this place is a remarkable oasis of life – including one amazing colony of King Penguins. Audiences will feel surrounded by these majestic birds as they watch “Penguins 3D,” which hits the giant screen at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater today.
Imagine all of the residents of Chattanooga, Nashville, and Knoxville gathered shoulder to shoulder in one location. If current census figures are correct, that’s how many people it would take to equal the population of King Penguins that congregate at South Georgia’s “Penguin City” each year. According to a recent paper published in Antarctic Science, there are 450,000 breeding pairs of King Penguins in this one relatively small spot. Each couple is there to try to raise the next generation.
“Penguins 3D” follows a young King Penguin as he returns to his birthplace after spending three years at sea. Surrounded by the lush, low-lying vegetation and snow covered peaks, he searches for a mate among the bustling crowds of nearly one million identical-looking birds. Along the way, this male must contend with brawling elephant seals and grumpy fur seals that make daily shore landings quite challenging.
Audiences will see how chicks and parents can recognize individual vocalizations among an almost deafening cacophony of raucous calling. This is just one phenomenal aspect of King Penguin life, according to Sir David Attenborough, the film’s writer and narrator. “It takes the young chick 18 months to develop the swimsuit of feathers that lets it go to sea,” Attenborough told Empire magazine. “It has to endure all the winter, and the next spring, and then some.” (That’s a long time compared to ten weeks – the time it took the Tennessee Aquarium’s new Gentoo Penguin chicks to grow large enough to go swimming.)
Attenborough is a leading natural history broadcaster. His career in television spans more than 50 years. He has traveled from Pole to Pole in his quest to bring nature closer to humans. “Penguins 3D” might have been his most challenging, yet most rewarding project. “Filming wildlife in the harsh sub-Antarctic conditions, using vast, ungainly, highly sensitive 3D equipment, is frustrating with knobs on,” said Attenborough. “The difficulties were huge, but the rewards are huge, too. With 3D, you can convey the reality of what’s in front of the camera in a much more powerful way than ever before.”
Fortunately, penguins aren’t shy birds. Even with four people lugging an IMAX camera Attenborough called a “whopping great beast,” the animals carried on with the business of being parents. “Penguins are big, colorful characters,” said Attenborough. “They are irresistibly comic.”
Other native species featured in the film include the Wandering Albatross, Leopard Seals, and Giant Petrels. “South Georgia is one of the most extraordinary and least appreciated places for wildlife in the world,” said Attenborough. “Whilst remote, it is far from barren. It bears witness to some of the most spectacular sights in the natural world.”
“Penguins 3D is rated G with a running time of 40 minutes.
Source: Tennessee Aquarium