Journeys With Penguins: Monitoring the World’s Most Excessive Penguin is a unique kind of penguin guide. Creator Gerald L. Kooyman (co-author with Jim Mastro) spent a long time finding out Emperor Penguins and might be thought of the world’s foremost knowledgeable on the species. Journeys with Penguins is the story of how he got here to analysis Emperor Penguins, how he devised strategies to measure and observe these unbelievable creatures, about whom little was identified due to their habitat within the coldest, darkest, most inaccessible areas of Antarctica, the expertise of dwelling on the ice of the Ross Sea, and what he and his staff came upon. It’s half memoir, half travelogue, half scientific narrative, half prologue to creating an argument for Antarctic conservation. It’s all in regards to the inconceivable intersection of human beings and Emperor Penguins, and if I can’t make it to an Emperor Penguin colony (extremely unlikely), studying this guide has been the subsequent smartest thing.

Empire Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the most important dwelling penguin species, virtually 4 toes tall (taller once they stretch), and the least prone to be seen on birding or nature journeys. They breed in colonies scattered across the Antarctic continent (the quantity ranges from 60 to 70, and as Kooyman factors out, the colonies can drastically change in dimension from yr to yr) on the ice (and one of many issues I discovered from this guide is what number of totally different sorts of ice there’s within the Antarctic) within the darkest months of winter. As we all know from the French documentary La Marche de l’Empereur (March of the Penguins), the females skedaddle from the breeding colony as soon as she produces an egg, leaving the egg to be incubated by the males, who quick for 120 days whereas conserving the egg in a flap of their toes. (I used to be stunned to seek out out that the Penguins studied by Kooyman on the Ross Sea don’t have any have to do a march since they breed so near the water.) Certainly, most of what we knew about Emperor Penguins earlier than Kooyman’s analysis expeditions was about their breeding conduct and physiology. Kooyman wished to know what they did the remainder of the yr.

He begins the guide together with his first in-person assembly with three Emperor Penguins, October 1961, at Cape Royds on the western facet of Ross Island in -30-degree C temperatures: “Three superb creatures blasted by the skinny ice not far-off and started sliding of their bellies towards me….Watching them, I assumed if I froze to loss of life earlier than the day was over, I’d cross the veil a cheerful man” (p.2).  Kooyman was there to work at McMurdo Station (a big American analysis station that we hear about all through the guide) as technical assistant on a science mission involving fish. He leaves enchanted by two mammals, the Emperor Penguin and the Weddell Seal, the one mammals who completely dwell their complete lives, year-round, within the Antarctic. It’s the seal that he first research, for his PhD and succeeding initiatives, and it isn’t until 20 years or so later, within the 1980’s, that he comes again to penguins, primarily the Emperor Penguins of the Ross Sea.

“The bathymetry of the Ross Sea,” © 2023 by Gerald L. Kooyman and Jim Mastro

The guide is split into two sections. Chapters 1 by 5 are the journey chapters, tales of how Kooyman began his penguin analysis, particulars of his first forays in figuring out which penguin colony to check, then establishing a analysis camp on the ice in a spot no researcher had gone earlier than, Cape Washington. It wasn’t straightforward, he wanted to determine transportation; devise methods to check penguin conduct, dwell with teammates who aren’t at all times appropriate (however who generally had been, like when his son was a part of the staff); negotiate with directors, pilots, and funding businesses (fortunately, there isn’t a variety of the latter within the guide, although I’m positive Kooyman did sufficient that he grew to become an knowledgeable). There was the discomfort of dwelling within the bitter chilly and darkish, generally with out correct clothes or tools, particularly within the early years; harrowing encounters with one of many space’s main predators, Leopard Seals; and a extra insidious risk, melting ice. The narrative continues by 1989, the highlights being Kooyman’s early analysis missions at Cape Washington in 1986 and 1989,

The following six chapters deal with the science of the lifetime of the Emperor Penguin, folding in Kooyman’s successive travels to Antarctica over the subsequent three a long time (his bio says he has been there 50 instances): expeditions at Cape Washington, diving experiments on the “Penguin Ranch” at McMurdo Station, and Antarctic analysis journeys on ships and icebreakers. He brings in findings from scientific endeavors carried out by different Antarctic researchers, making these chapters an interesting textbook on the present state of analysis on Empire Penguins. 4 chapters are organized by the actions of the Empire Penguin: commuter journey (going out to feed and bringing meals again to chicks), fledging journey, pre-molt journey, post-molt journey. Every part poses Kooyman’s analysis questions after which explains how he and his staff went about making an attempt to reply them, monitoring journeys out to sea with (then) new know-how of satellite tv for pc transmitters, making sense of the info acquired, studying to just accept the bounds of what they might be taught (nonetheless a variety of answered questions on the market, such because the winter foraging conduct of females from the Ross Sea colonies).

The following chapter is probably the most scientifically oriented of the guide, asking “How Do They Do It?,” how do Empire Penguins dwell their lives of extremes–excessive chilly, excessive darkness, excessive dives. As a result of, as Kooyman proved together with his self-devised time/depth recorders and dive circle analysis on the ice, Empire Penguins are unbelievable divers, recorded diving all the way down to over 500 meters on a single breadth. It’s all about feathers, very dense feathers and really particular forms of feathers, and a posh interaction of organic elements involving oxygen, cardio and anaerobic metabolism, and lactate. I’m nonetheless scuffling with understanding the latter, however that’s not Kooyman and Mastro’s fault. They’re glorious science writers, patiently explaining the physiological processes concerned in deep diving in penguins, seals, and human. It’s a complicated subject and I used to be relieved to get on to what is among the most entertaining sections of the guide, the chapter on Emperor Penguins and their principal predator, the Leopard Seal. Leopard Seals are generally described as apex predators, they’ve large jaws full of sharp tooth, and Kooyman has already described earlier within the guide an incident the place he’s stalked by a Leopard Seal on breaking ice, rescued within the proverbial nick of time by one among his teammates. The tales within the chapter “Predator as Prey” aren’t as dramatic, however they’re compelling and even enjoyable, particularly when Kooyman is ready to acquire a “seal exclusion cage” that they use to watch penguin/seal interplay underwater. Movies illustrating a number of the motion seen from the “SEC” might be discovered on a particular web page on the College of Chicago Press web site, linking to 14 examples of penguin and different Antarctic mammal conduct. 

Little movie clipboards within the textual content point out the provision of those video clips. A few of them are fairly good, and general it’s a terrific addition to the guide’s images and different illustrations. I solely hope that the writer maintains the web site; I’ve seen comparable elaborations which have gone lacking after a few years.

Journeys With Emperors is illustrated with black-and-white illustrations embedded within the textual content, numbered as figures, and 24 coloration images in a 12-page insert, numbered as plates. The black-and-white illustrations embody panorama photographs taken aerially and by satellite tv for pc, scientific charts (comparable to depths of deep dives by Emperor Penguins), and pictures of seals, penguins, and expedition groups. The latter, taken by Kooyman, co-author Mastro, and different members of the groups, have an genuine, home made high quality, and properly complement the expedition narratives (I at all times need to see what the folks within the story appear like). The colour images, all however one by Kooyman give some thought of the beautiful, other-worldly great thing about Antarctica and its dignified denizens, some rivaling the pictures of Otto Plantema (Across the World for Penguins, 2020) and Tui De Roy (Penguins, the Final Information, with Mark Jones and Julie Cornthwaite, 2022), although the smaller dimensions reduce the influence. There may be one, plate 12, an extended shot displaying a distant line of Emperors plunging off a so-meter excessive iceberg, 5 birds flailing within the air, the ready birds of their black-and-white plumage standing straight up, equidistance from one another, the background sky a cobalt blue streaked with white clouds, the ocean beneath a deeper, extra intense blue–I’d like to have it on my wall. Extra importantly, lots of the illustrations, figures and plates, are built-in into the textual content, known as examples of conduct or illustrating scientific factors.

Equally, the papers, reviews, and journal articles cited in every chapter are listed within the 10-page Annotated Bibliography. And it truly is annotated! Nearly each quotation is accompanied by notes on the paper’s contribution to the literature of Antarctic marine mammals, significantly Empire Penguins, full with the authors’ evaluative opinions and even occasional remarks on the issue of acquiring sure papers. As a librarian, I actually appreciated the notation on the primary report on breeding conduct of the Emperor Penguin by Bernard Stonehouse: “Good luck discovering this report in any however probably the most complete libraries” (p. 171). The topic index can also be very helpful, referencing species, folks, locations, and scientific subjects.

I’m curious in regards to the position performed by co-author Jim Mastro. The guide is clearly narrated in Jerry Kooyman’s voice. Kooyman is at present professor emeritus and analysis physiologist within the Middle for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine at Scripps Establishment of Oceanography, College of California, San Diego and has 124 scientific papers listed on his tutorial web site (most co-authored, as is the educational means). Mastro has a various work historical past that features doing work within the Antarctic  as a laboratory supervisor, analysis assistant, and scientific diving coordinator; technical enhancing for the US Antarctic Program; writing a memoir about dwelling within the Antarctic (Antarctica: A 12 months on the Backside of the World, 2002), co-authoring Below Antarctic Ice: The Images of Norbert Wu, and writing science fiction novels for center graders. My guess is that Mastro labored with Kooyman within the writing and group of this guide, together with options just like the boxed-off textual content that explains scientific phrases and ideas. However that is guesswork and I’d actually respect extra info on his contributions.

Journeys With Emperors: Monitoring the World’s Most Excessive Penguin is an intriguing addition to the massive variety of books on the market about penguins, one among our most charismatic species. In contrast to stunning photographic excursions of penguin colonies around the globe (see above titles) or a memoir of time spent with penguins (My Penguin 12 months: Dwelling with the Emperors, by Lindsay McCrae, 2022), Journeys With Emperors takes us behind the scenes of pioneering scientific expeditions after which follows up with the scientific leads to readable, layman’s language. The bifurcated group works due to using a single authoritative narrative voice, a cautious association of scientific particulars, and a way of surprise that infuses each chapter, whether or not it’s about climbing over a glacier or the advantages of anaerobic metabolisms. It’s a really satisfying guide to learn. It additionally offers perception into the scientific means of birds and their habitat, and the private prices and rewards of a life dedicated to scientific obsession.

In his last chapter, “Local weather, Conservation, and Consumption,” Kooyman paints a posh image of the consequences of local weather change and habitat destruction on the Empire Penguin colonies of the Ross Sea. One of many good issues that has occurred is a global treaty that has established the Ross Sea Marine Protected Areas, encompassing all of the Ross Sea Emperor Penguin colonies and most of their molt space. Three colonies are off-limits to everybody until you will have a “compelling scientific motive.” Effectively, apparently tourism, even birding excursions, don’t meet that criterion, which is why I’ll in all probability by no means see an Emperor Penguin. And that could be o.ok.

Journeys With Emperors: Monitoring the World’s Most Excessive Penguin
by Gerald L. Kooyman and Jim Mastro, with a Foreword by Jessica Ulrika Meir
College of Chicago Press, Nov. 2023, 256 pp.
ISBN-10 : 0226824381; ISBN-13 : 978-0226824383
hardcover: $32.50, additionally obtainable in digital codecs