Emperor penguin chicks seen cliff diving on camera for first time

Captured on camera for the first time ever, hundreds of six-month-old emperor penguin chicks were filmed taking a leap of faith off of a 50-foot cliff in Antarctica. A penguin chick’s first jump into the water is typically only a foot or two, but in this rare case, the group ended up alongside a cliff’s edge. Likely motivated to hunt the fresh fish, krill and squid in the water, the fledglings marched from the frozen land in West Antarctica to the surrounding Weddell Sea. One baby penguin took a polar plunge into the sea, with other chicks following suit soon after. A National Geographic team filmed this rare behavior via drone in January 2024. Credit: National Geographic / “Secrets of the Penguins“ ––– Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Live: Watch full episodes of World News Tonight with David Muir here: Read ABC News reports online: ABC News Digital is your daily source of breaking national and world news, exclusive interviews and 24/7 live streaming coverage. ABC News is the home to the #1 evening newscast “World News Tonight” with David Muir, “Good Morning America,” “20/20,” “Nightline,” “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, “ABC News Live Prime” with Linsey Davis, plus the daily news podcast “Start Here.” Connect with ABC News on social media: Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: @abcnews X: Threads: @abcnews LinkedIn: