By May, the light will have nearly disappeared from the sky, and the temperature continues to drop. For those who began the journey too late, or have fallen behind because of weakness or hunger, hope of survival is now remote. A lone penguin has no chance of surviving the winters cold. He will merely fade away, absorbed by the great whiteness behind him.

As winter descends, the clan’s only defense against the freezing cold is the group itself. It is almost as if they create another organism altogether. The huddled animals create a single moving mass, one that is designed for the sole purpose of keeping warm. Winters storm is upon them. Within a few weeks, days will begin to pass with virtually no light. Moons come and go, in the soon to be endless night. Finally, one day in early June we remember why the penguins came here. The egg hatches. As Soon as it appears, it is instantly shielded from the cold. The tiny being within the shell cannot survive more than a moment’s exposure to the freezing winter air.

From now on the couple has but a single goal, to keep their egg alive. The hungry mother must return at once to the sea to eat. But before she leaves she must entrust the egg to its father. Some young couples are too impulsive and rush the egg transfer process, within moments the egg is broken, and left on the ice. Their affair is now over, the ice has claimed their egg and the life within it. With no reason to stay, these two will wander back to the sea.

The others must stay however; they first practice the egg transfer before doing so. Then, with great care they transfer the egg. Now begins one of natures most incredible and enduring role reversals. It is the father who tends to the couples single egg, while the mother feeds and gathers food for the young. It is the father who shields the egg from the violent winds and cold. He makes a nest for the egg atop his own claws, keeping it safe and warm beneath a flap of skin on his belly, and he will do this for more than two months.