But Ribic sees individual families. She wants to know how far the parents will go to find food for their young. One of Ribic's specialties is telemetry. She attaches radio transmitters near penguins' tails with black waterproof tape, then tracks the birds' movements from a hill overlooking the colony, using antennas to triangulate their positions. Ribic says penguins have been observed ranging up to 12.4 miles for food, staying out for up to two days.
Penguins thrive on the tiny shrimp-like krill or silverfish.
The Adelie swallow the krill or fish, then regurgitate the food into the open beak of the waiting chick. Tracking their foraging pattern may help answer a key question that experts have about Adelies. When you look at Cape Crozier, it looks like there's room for more. How to handle a penguin Snagging a penguin the first time is easy, Ribic says. Putting on a radio transmitter takes a few minutes.