For thousands of years, our ancestors seem to have been looking for a place, that is, the end of the world.
Where is the end of the world?
There seems to be no fixed answer to this question, but there is one place that seems to allow us to see the shadow of the end of the world, and that is Antarctica.
It is a cold and beautiful world, where emperor penguins with the appearance of emperors compose a magical song of survival.
Prelude: Summer Beach Party At the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean, there is a group of wild islands - Crozet Island, Marion Island, Kerguelen Island and Amsterdam Island.
Every summer, this place becomes a paradise for animals, and birds are one of the wonders here.
Although there are only about 30 species of flying birds, the number is very impressive, about 65 million.
Petrels, thieves, and lesser sheath-billed gulls are scavenging birds, and they make a living by attacking the old, weak, sick, and disabled and looking for corpses.
Albatross seem to be superior and unique. Their staple food is squid. However, because squid live in the depths of the ocean, it seems difficult for albatross to catch them. Therefore, some scientists believe that albatross also eat scavengers, that is, scavengers near the ocean surface.
Squid carcasses, not fresh squid.
In addition to birds, when summer comes, many emperor penguins and elephant seals will also arrive on the island. They want to find mates and reproduce here. Therefore, in just a few days, the originally empty beaches will become overcrowded.
and the entrance to the river are crowded with emperor penguins and elephant seals.
The reason why this desert island is able to attract so many creatures is that it was once a volcanic area, has the only non-frozen soil area in the Subantarctic, and has pristine non-frozen beaches, making this place extremely precious.
Moreover, the sea area here is where the cold Southern Ocean and the warm Indian Ocean merge, giving birth to numerous microscopic plants that feed on krill and other zooplankton.
Krill is one of the main food sources for creatures such as emperor penguins.
The Emperor Penguin is a bird that has forgotten to fly. It uses its feet and tail as rudders and its fins as paddles to move quickly through the water.
Because of its solemn and elegant appearance and behavioral characteristics, it has an "imperial" appearance, so it is called the Emperor Penguin.
During the first eight months of their arrival on the South Indian islands, emperor penguin colonies live in the open sea.
Every year, they instinctively return to the island to breed.
However, by breeding within the same colony year after year, their gene pool already lacks genetic diversity, and this homogeneity will drive emperor penguins to the brink of extinction due to disease or environmental changes.
The elephant seal has a strange shape, a huge body, and a retractable nose. When it is excited or angry, its nose will expand and make a loud sound.
It is these species of various shapes that constitute a huge and peculiar event every year in the South Indian Ocean Islands.
Human world: a delicate neighborly relationship. The relationship between emperor penguins and elephant seals is very delicate. They are both close neighbors and harsh enemies.
Since they find a mate, mate, and give birth all within one summer, occupying territory is important to them.
Although they share the same beach every summer, they never get along peacefully and always quarrel over territory.
As soon as they landed, some emperor penguins began to drive away a lost elephant seal. Even some emperor penguin cubs came over and did not hesitate to use "force" to seize the territory.
Of course, in the end they all have their own place.
Huge male elephant seals usually land on the island a few weeks early because they need to determine each other's rank by force, and then allocate territories to welcome the arrival of female elephant seals.
Among elephant seals, the head of the family is equivalent to the "Marine Commander" who is busy managing a large group of wives and concubines day and night.
As for the young male elephant seals who have not yet started a family, since they have no gentle place to indulge, they wander on the beach, waiting for opportunities to usurp the throne. Therefore, bloody fights often occur.
In contrast, down on the beach, the baby elephant seals are much more leisurely and carefree. They only have fun in their hearts.
When a female elephant seal gives birth, coups often occur in the family. Young and handsome family members will challenge the authority of the family patriarch, who is equivalent to the "Marine Commander", and want to replace the "Marine Commander" position.
While the "Marine Commander" was fighting the incoming enemies, the Emperor Penguin acted as if nothing had happened, turning a blind eye to the fierce battle and still pacing leisurely aside.
In order to make himself more intimidating, the "Marine Commander" will vigorously puff up his nose wings and use his extraordinary nose to drive away incomprehensible attackers.
Although the young males would temporarily retreat, with attachment to the patriarch's wives and concubines in their eyes, and run elsewhere to try their luck, they would often be unwilling to do so and would soon return to continue the next round of fighting.
The reason why they fight so bravely again and again is to spread their genes.
Every summer, only 3% of male elephant seals realize their breeding rights, and the odds are about the same as winning the Mark Six lottery. Therefore, some males will occupy more than 100 females for this purpose.
In the battles that take place every year, it is generally the younger male members who finally gain the upper hand. They bite off the nose of the old "Marine Commander" and gather all his wives and concubines as their own.
The former "Marine Commander", who was bruised, exhausted and weighed about 4 tons, eventually became the target of more than 100 skuas and petrels.
Petrels are particularly ferocious. They will stick their entire heads into carcasses and suck out the sap-rich internal organs.