Bloom County's Opus is an Adelie

Adelie penguins are pretty awesome in their little tuxedos. As a refugee of Shutterfly's defunct shared sites, I'm pleased to present my first Blogspot post on Adelie penguins!

Captions: An Adelie penguin carefully picks its way down the rocks like I do — as if it's about to faceplant at any moment.

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Mom and dad with the hungry twins.

An Adelie carefully makes its way down a glacial ice sheet in Antarctica.

The bottom of a penguin's foot is studded with tiny cleats that help it grip the ice. I wanted to boop this sleeping penguin’s toes. 

An Adelie toboggans down a glacial snowfield. Looks like fun!

Adelies raise their chicks together in Antarctica.

An Adelie closely watches over its chick in the guano-covered colony. You can see the little nest made from tiny pebbles. The babies are vulnerable to skuas and petrels.

Adelies gather at the surf's edge waiting for an opportune time to make the dash to deep water. The birds were extremely skittish, making a tentative surge before retreating to gather their collective courage. Leopard seals lurk in the shallows.

Blood drenches an Adelie after a narrow escape from a leopard seal. While the injury looks horrible, these birds are really tough. For the sake of the babies, they have to be. This penguin should recover.

Adelies play the Antarctic version of the floor is lava. They seem to prefer to stand on the ice, regardless of how little there might be in the short summer. Thanks, climate change!

Adelie penguins have beautiful blue-hued rings around their eyes. They are so charming.