Extraordinary Penguin Moments | BBC Earth | BBC Studios

Somehow, in this melee of 60,000 or so penguins, a parent has to find its chick. It returns to the place where it last left its chick in the hope that it might still be close by. But chicks tend to wander, so the adult has to call to it. The chick responds and they slowly home in on one another. The plaintive entreaties of the chick stimulates the adult to regurgitate a mouthful of fish. With the return of one parent, the other is free to go to sea to feed for itself. Aware of the leopard seal's presence, the penguins press together at the ice edge, unwilling to be the first to risk diving in. Occasionally, the seal comes out onto the ice and attempts to grab one. But its most successful strategy by far is to lie in wait. It hides behind a corner of ice. The emperors gain confidence and make a dash for it. The first wave of penguins escape. Once in open water, they will be safe. But the seal is alerted by the noise and through the massive bubbles, it makes its attack. Almost invariably, it makes a kill. Encouraged by the absence of the seal, the remaining penguins make a break for the open sea. Their chicks will fledge. And when the Antarctic autumn is near its end, these adults will walk across the newly formed ice to endure yet another winter on the frozen sea. Reunited at last. The mother sees her chick for the first time. She's keen to start parenting. But the father needs persuading to surrender the chick he's been caring for all winter. He must now put his chick at risk. In these temperatures, it could freeze in seconds. The male will have to let go. Eventually, the transfer to the mother is safely made. The chicks grow quickly on a diet of fish and squid. Soon, they're keen to explore, but always with mother in tow. This chick is less fortunate. Its mother has not returned to claim it. Another orphan is searching for a new family, but this female already has a chick of her own. Some orphans receive too much mothering from penguins' mothers, whose own chicks have not survived. The urge to parent is so strong that they will compete with one another to adopt any chick they find. Many of these squabbles end in tragedy, as the poor chick is trampled to death. Those chicks that do have parents quickly learn survival skills. Even in spring, they must huddle together for warmth, just as their fathers did in the depths of winter. A group of chicks has got lost in the blizzard. Cold and disorientated, they search for the colony. It will not be long before the storm claims its first victims. By early summer, the chicks are surprisingly well-developed and now look ready to take on the world. Those that survive their first year have the best possible start in life, thanks to the extraordinary hardships endured by their parents. Parents who battled with the Antarctic winter and won. The rockhopper chick is still stuck. Despite his caution, he ends up taking the biggest tumble of all. But his troubles aren't over yet. A caracara, a dangerous predator. Another joins. At the worst possible moment, he's completely outnumbered. But then, backup arrives. Steamer ducks, the most aggressive in the world. They hate caracaras and won't give up until every one is gone. The chick's not about to hang around. This time, he has some company for his final farewell. He takes the plunge, sliding down the rocks like it's a water chute. But it's not over yet. The giant petrel is back, predatory to the last. The chick dives, but immediately pops right up again. He's never been underwater before. This time, the petrel has him. Others close in for the kill, but the petrel loses his grip. This time, the penguin stays safely under for good and joins the others in the sea. He will never look back. This is where he is meant to be. He'll spend the next three years learning the secrets of the sea before he returns here to breed. He's now in his element and gone in a flash. Already, the blizzard has reached the colony. The chick's only protection is his overcoat of down. And at minus 40, it's simply not enough. And unfortunately, the other mothers care only for their own. The chick's mother calls one last time, but her cries are lost on the wind. At last, he's found. And not a moment too soon. Within a few hours, the full force of the storm engulfs the colony. The chick may be safe, but as temperatures drop to minus 60, his mother's warmth is not enough. To protect him, she needs to find refuge in the shared warmth of the other penguins. As 100 kilometres an hour winds lash the colony, the penguins huddle together. Sheltered from the storm, they're snug at last. But out on the ice, the lone father is still paying the price for his mistake. His only hope is to reach the safety of the colony in time. In the comfort of the huddle, the penguins have all the shelter they need. In the centre, temperatures can even reach a toasty 37 degrees. To cool down, they shuffle to the outside, letting others take their place. By sharing body heat, they weather any storm. Desperate for the warmth of the family, the lone father struggles on. For the sake of his chick, he simply has to make it back. Then through the blizzard, salvation. Against the odds, he's made it home. Then at last, some weary figures appear. Utterly exhausted by the walk, the mother still has one final challenge before she can meet her chick. Finding him. There are over 3,000 fathers with chicks here, and even to penguins, they all look the same. For the chick, time is running out. But the penguins have a solution. The fathers get in line, and dad and his chick join them. They form an identity parade. All she has to do is simply work her way along the line. Sounds simple enough, but among all the penguin lookalikes, her partner is still tricky to recognise. So every so often, she stops and calls. Her cry is unique, and the father responds with a call of his own. It's what she was hoping to hear. After two months at sea and a 100-kilometre trek across the ice, she's made it back in the nick of time. In a miracle of natural timing, he gets a morsel that will save his life. It's now his mother's turn to take over the childcare, but they must be careful. A few seconds too long on the ice, and their chick will die. Finally, they unite as a family. The bond they share is one of the most remarkable in nature. For over the next five months, they'll take it in turns to trek to the sea to bring back food for their ever-growing baby. His father endured so much to get the tiny chick this far. Saying goodbye is hard. This time, there's no looking back. In four weeks, he will return with fresh supplies. But first, there's the little matter of a 200-kilometre round trip to the sea. She's got a belly full of fish for her newborn, but between them is a gruelling 100-kilometre trek across the frozen sea. Waddling at less than three kilometres an hour, it will take many days to get home. Instinct drives them on. Their babies' lives depend on them arriving in time. Back at the colony, the father is getting to know his chick. He gives him some high-calorie baby milk produced from a gland in his throat. But these supplies will only last a few days. It's just as well his mother is on her way. Following her maternal instinct, she and all the other females are making steady progress on their journey home. But in places, the ice is wafer-thin. Below, a predator tracks their every move. A leopard seal, the penguin's greatest enemy. The chick's mother senses danger. She was right to be cautious. Broken ice is a death trap. For the rest, their chick is their only concern. But the seal needs just one victim, a near-miss, and she still has 60 treacherous kilometres ahead of her. While the chick waits for her return, outside temperatures are at minus 30. But the pouch covers him like a tea cosy and keeps him at a comfy plus 37 degrees. For a new father, walking with a chick on your feet is a tricky balancing act. He'll get the hang of it soon.