Secrets of the Penguins (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

1
[Narrator] Emperors
rule mainland Antarctica.
But other penguins
live off the edge
in some of the
most treacherous waters
on the planet.
-This is a seriously dangerous
place to be a penguin..
[Narrator] The Southern Ocean
-Look at them all
just piling in!
[Narrator] Home to
some of the fastest growing
colonies on earth.
40 million penguins
crowd its isolated shores.
-There's just
penguins everywhere.
[Narrator] Two years
immersed in their world
like never before.
We reveal the secrets
of their success.
-That was magic!
[Narrator] Now in the
face of a changing planet
some remarkable
penguins thrive
by taking risks.
-Look at
the speed under the boat!
[Narrator] Defying traditions.
Even standing up to giants.
Out here the bigger the risk,
the bigger the reward.
[gentle music playing]
[Narrator] In the northernmost
reaches of Antarctica.
One colony of
penguins is defying the odds
like never before.
This is Cuverville Island.
Home to 12,000 gentoo penguins.
Unlike most species,
gentoo numbers are on the rise.
At two and a
half feet tall,
they're the third largest
of all the penguins.
This father devotes
four months of every year
to raising chicks
This is his third round
at fatherhood.
He’s doing his part to
help build one of the fastest
growing penguin
colonies on the planet.
National Geographic
Explorer and cinematographer
Bertie Gregory
[Bertie] Just look
at this place.
[Narrator] is here to
uncover why gentoos are thriving
while other penguins aren't.
-We've arrived at
the Antarctic Peninsula.
An 800-mile finger
of land jutting into
the Southern Ocean
The biggest change
is the amount of exposed rock,
which is what the
Gentoos need to nest on.
As Antarctica warms, more
of it is being revealed.
And it's one reason
they're so successful.
But gentoos aren't
the only penguins who
make their homes on rock,
so there's
gotta be more to it.
[Narrator] One possibility is
their approach to parenting.
Emperors only have
one chick a year.
But like all gentoos,
this father has twins.
It doubles his chances of
passing down his genes.
But it's twice the work.
Each chick needs
700 calories a day.
That's like feeding
a toddler four Big Macs.
Normally one parent alone
can't meet this demand
And is often forced
to abandon the chicks.
But this father seems
to be on his own.
There's been no sign of
the twins' mother for days.
Now he needs to eat.
The chicks' future depends
on whether he returns.
The 100-yard trek to
the water is a long way
on 4-inch legs.
But his awkward
waddle is actually one of
the most efficient
walks of any animal.
Using almost 25% less
energy than a human.
And flippers do
help with balance.
Gentoos can hunt alone
but he knows
he'll be better off
in a group.
But not because
they're friends
This isn't Happy Feet.
It's the Hunger Games.
He knows from experience
not all will make it home.
As a single father better
one of them than him.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Bertie] See how
they're all just stacking up
at the water's edge?
The big question is
who's going to go in first?
Why are they
looking so nervous?
I'm getting in.
A leopard seal!
About 700 pounds.
They’re wily predators
with no fear.
The grizzly bears of the sea.
And a set of teeth like
you wouldn’t believe.
It just kept trying to
get around the back of me.
While I might not
be on the menu,
the penguins definitely are.
This is a, a seriously
dangerous place to be a penguin.
[Narrator] This leopard seal
can take six penguins a day.
The single father can't
afford to be one of them.
Scientists believe
he manages the risk
strategically.
His plan
seek cover and blend in.
Get to the
middle of the pack,
and stay there.
-Here they go!
Look at them
all just piling in.
This looks like total chaos,
but it's all part
of a strategy.
You think if you're a leopard
seal waiting in the water and
suddenly 100 penguins
come over your head.
It's going to be really
hard to single one out.
They're doing these
amazing evasive maneuvers
where they jink back and forth.
Their wings are
like a fighter jets
they're shorter, flatter,
and denser than flying birds.
Look at the speed
under the boat!
Gentoos are the
fastest penguin in the world!
They can hit
22 miles an hour.
But that's still slower
than a leopard seal.
This first 100 meters
is the most dangerous.
You know, the leopard
seal's tactic is to ambush
in the shallows.
So it's every penguin
for themselves.
There's a lep there,
there a lep!
It's not about being
the fastest penguin,
it's about just not
being the slowest.
Eesh.
Poor thing.
I mean the leopard
seal's got to eat,
this is the circle of life, but
it's a pretty brutal way to go.
[Narrator] By sticking
in the middle,
the twins' father makes it
safely out of the shallows.
And the rewards are
worth all the risk.
He'll swim up to 12 miles
feasting on the bounty
of the Southern Ocean.
[Bertie] I've never seen
so many gentoo penguins
all in one place out
in open water;
there must be a lot of
food around.
The Antarctic Circumpolar
Current brings cold,
nutrient-rich water
full of krill, fish, squid,
and gentoos can eat them all.
They have the most diverse
diet of any penguin here.
So as the oceans change,
and food sources come and go,
Gentoos continue to thrive.
[Narrator] Out in the
safety of the open ocean,
the gentoo father must decide
does he give up on his
twins and stay out at sea
or, return to face
the leopard seal,
and try to save his
chicks from starving?
Managing impossible choices
is the hard reality of
life in the Southern Ocean.
750 miles north
towards South America,
where the Southern Ocean
meets the Atlantic.
Another successful
penguin gambles with its
life just to get home.
[Narrator] This
courageous youngster is a
southern rockhopper.
She's been growing up
at sea for 4 years.
Now she's come of age
and returned home
to find her life partner.
She's two-thirds the
size of a gentoo just
a foot and a half tall.
But rockhoppers can do
something gentoos can't.
Her distinctive gait
explains their name.
More of a hop than a waddle.
Perfect for climbing
Which is helpful when
you live on a cliff
eight stories high.
Vertical mobility has helped
them conquer some of the
world's toughest islands
More than half a million
rockhoppers call this home.
And now the young female
must find her one.
Choosing a partner
is risky business.
Most mate for life.
And rockhopper courtship
takes some getting used to.
They're among the most
hot-tempered penguins
on the planet.
Single males build nests
to impress females
But in a colony this crowded,
space is tight.
So they have to fight
for their real estate.
The best spots to raise chicks
are sheltered from the wind,
but also have easy
access to the ocean.
She's looking for someone
in the right part of town.
A mate tough enough
to protect her kids
who will also care
well for his family.
The strong, sensitive type.
Ooh, what about him?
He's got great hair!
The brighter the crest,
the healthier the male.
And he's got a
great looking nest.
Around here
stones are status.
They help keep
nests dry.
But he's already taken.
And here she comes.
Just walk away.
What about him?
He looks single.
But he just lets the other
males take his stones
Perhaps he's old or tired.
She can do better.
Wait what is that?
[rockhopper call]
[Narrator] The young
rockhopper hears a melody
it's intoxicating.
Song plays a huge
role in courtship.
A confident song could
mean a strong mate.
[rockhopper call]
And this guy is louder
than your average rockhopper!
[rockhopper call]
And 50% larger.
And there's something weird
going on with his eyebrows.
Because he's a
different species.
He's a macaroni penguin
And he's definitely
caught her eye.
He's one of only
30 macaronis here.
But why he's here is a mystery.
The macaronis' stronghold
is nearly 1,000 miles
to the east.
Beyond singing,
macaroni penguins do one
thing really well.
Make more macaronis.
There are more
than 12 million.
More than any other
penguin on the planet.
And this is
their New York City,
over 2 million macaronis.
In a colony this big
real estate is at a premium.
Unlucky males who
can't find a quality place
to build a nest
have no chance
with the females.
Which could be why some
frustrated penguins leave
in search of a new life.
And it's possible
that's why this
macaroni's ancestors
made the journey.
Where he found his rockhopper.
But mating with an
outsider is a huge risk.
Interspecies penguin
couples have only been
recorded a handful of times.
The probability of them having
chicks is historically low.
-Wow look at you.
[Narrator] National Geographic
Explorer and penguin scientist
Popi Borboroglu is trying to
figure out why some penguins
still take this chance.
[Popi] I've been working with
penguins for 35 years now and
I have never been able
to see something like this.
We have a mixed pair
where each member of the couple
belongs to a different species.
We don't really know why
this is happening in the wild.
Maybe the female rockhopper
thinks that the male macaroni
will be able to protect
her chicks better.
Nobody's messing with the
adult macaroni male you know,
he's a big guy.
Two individuals of different
species coming together like
this as a couple.
Who knows where it could lead?
[Narrator] They seem
the perfect pair.
But the odds are against them.
Even if they succeed
in having chicks
there's no guarantee
they'll survive,
or be able to have
chicks of their own.
Back on the
Antarctic Peninsula,
this is the longest
the gentoo twins have ever
gone without eating.
With no sign either parent
they've now taken
.to begging their
neighbors for food.
But gentoos can't afford to
feed someone else's chicks.
The twins need their
father back and soon.
And there he is.
[uplifting music playing]
He's got a belly full of food
yet he's not giving it up.
He's making the twins
compete for their dinner.
It's possible his
tough love parenting
has a purpose.
He could be making them
stronger and more resilient.
Making sure they're not last
when it's time to head to sea.
[uplifting music playing]
The winner gets to eat.
Mmmm, regurgitated krill.
For the loser?
There's always next time.
Like right now.
Their father
still has plenty more food.
He can run these
drills again and again,
up to dozen times a day.
He's determined to make
it work on his own.
-To survive here,
you've just got
to be so tough.
And soon it's going to be
time for the next generation
of gentoo to run that
leopard seal gauntlet.
Gentoos take big
risks for big rewards.
And that's why they're a
rare success story when other
penguins are really struggling.
[wind]
[narrator] The rockhopper
macaroni couple
is in uncharted waters.
Their huge gamble,
has paid off.
[Popi] Oh wow!
They're all fat,
they look healthy.
This is so great!
The chance to see this in the
wild is amazing for science,
because there are so many
new things that we can discover.
[Narrator] A rockhopper mom
And macaroni dad
Make rockaroni chicks.
Filmed in the wild for
the first time ever.
-Rockaronis are
absolutely fantastic.
When two species
come together like this,
it introduces new genes
into the next generation.
This couple is so special.
One in a million
couples like this can
really reshape species,
or even create a
completely new one.
We are literally
witnessing penguin evolution
before our eyes
[Narrator] If the young
rockaronis continue to
defy the odds
And have chicks of their own
This could be the special
blueprint that helps penguins
survive a changing world.
But first they have
to grow up.
Rockaroni chicks are bigger
so they need more food.
Like rockhoppers,
macaroni fathers are dedicated
stay at home dads
He won't leave the
nest for at least 3 weeks.
So their mother has
to do all the fishing.
She might just
about meet demand
if she takes the shortcut.
A route carved in
stone by her ancestors.
To a secret cove.
The easiest path to
the water for miles.
[inspirational music playing]
As the first wave enters
the mother seems
happy to wait her turn.
An ambush
The rockhopper mother is safe.
She learns why here
it's not always
good to be first.
A sea lion
a 600-pound killer
with a taste for blood.
Each victim a parent.
She'll have to find another way.
The safest option
would be a grueling
2-hour climb
over the island.
It's a setback this
colony doesn't need.
Industrial fishing and warmer
waters have helped push
rockhopper numbers down
70% from a century ago.
They might travel 100 miles
or more to find
the remaining fish.
And with her bigger
rockaroni chicks,
she's got to go the extra mile.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Narrator] For the
macaroni father
Mom's long trip
is taking its toll.
The chicks are hungry.
Shag birds
won't eat them
But, they're a nuisance.
Big Mac's size is
proving useful.
Luckily mom is almost home.
But, exhausted
and weighed down by
her full belly
She's taking her chances
And coming back
through the cove.
She needs to stay
lost in the crowd.
But she's so full
she's trailing behind.
[dramatic music playing]
[dramatic music playing]
She's completely
out of hops.
[dramatic music playing]
But this mother
is a fighter.
Never filmed before
She shouts down a beast
70 times her size.
[dramatic music playing]
Her rockaroni chicks
are all that matter.
She's changed the game.
Redefined the hierarchy.
She is a legend.
[uplifting music playing]
But to them
she's just mom.
They've got the best
of both their parents
Big, brave
And loud.
They don't know it yet
but their unconventional
rockaroni family might
just be the future.
From the beginning,
penguins broke the mold.
And for millennia,
swapping wings for
flippers paid off.
These masters of sea
[Bertie exclaims]
and land
found ways to conquer the
most extreme places on Earth.
And a glimpse into their
secret world has revealed..
-Look at the
speed under the boat!
[Narrator] how they do it.
-It’s been a really
special couple of years,
spending so much time with
these fascinating animals.
I've got to know them as
individuals through the most
critical moments in their lives.
[Narrator] The youngster
learning the lessons
of his clan.
-I reckon he’s
got it in him.
[Narrator] The devoted
new parents determined to
get it right.
And the most vulnerable.
[Bertie] Come on, little chick.
[Narrator] Who defies the odds.
[Bertie] Well done!
[Narrator] There’s so
much more to penguins than
we ever imagined.
But as our world and
theirs collide
they're facing
threats they've
never experienced before.
[Bertie] Whether they live in
the icy wilds of Antarctica or
the lava rocks of the
Galapagos the environment is
changing faster than
they can keep up with.
Penguins have always
shaped their own destiny,
but now their future
lies in our hands.