Emperor penguin chicks begin to shed their fluffy down at about five months old in preparation for a life spent primarily in the water. The adults stop feeding the chicks when they begin to molt, so they are eventually driven by hunger and instinct to head to the sea.
In the past, these chicks would have spent their first months on sea ice, but recently, emperors have been hatching on the ice shelf instead, possibly due to climate change. Entering the water from sea ice usually requires a jump of only a few feet, but this group of juveniles was spotted on the edge of a fifty-foot cliff. Using a drone, National Geographic filmmakers captured breathtaking footage of these chicks making a dramatic exit from the ice.
The adolescent mob hovers around the edge, and some birds in the front don't seem anxious to make the leap. Eventually, one brave soul jumps and soon pops back up, taking his first swim. The others follow although some don't jump of their own accord. Some dive, some belly-flop, and some even flap their wings on the way down, but they all appear to swim away happily, which is never a sure thing in a nature documentary.
Previously: Helldivers but with the Penguins of Madagascar
