The wind was cold, from the south, and very strong... That was the day I visited Punta Tombo, the biggest penguin colony in Southamerica.
There, 1 million magellan penguins arrive from the ocean every year for the reproduction season. The males arrive first, so that they can build and prepare the nest.
These penguins are monogamus, so they stay with the same wife year after year. Once the nest is ready, the male penguin would call his wife, so that they can reproduce. The female puts two eggs. At best, only one of the two penguin babies survies the first year of life, as both compete with each other for the food that the parents bring to the nest.
Sometimes, the male doesn't prepare the nest very well... he is being lazy or hanging out too much with his friends. His future kids will suffer that, as their chances of survival are very reduced if the nest conditions aren't good enough. When both of the kids die... the wife is not very happy either... when she arrives next year for the reproduction season, other males will try to seduce her... saying "look at my nest, it's big and clean.. it's close to the sea, it has even sea view!"... then the female penguin is likely to divorce and join a new couple...
In the meantime, the previous husband suffers the consequences of not fulfilling his duty the past year... he is calling his wife but she doens't come... and he won't be able to copulate and to reproduce this season... In his despair.. he may even try to steal eggs from his neighbours, who would fight to defend their offspring.
Crazy...
