The Emperor penguin colony at Cape Crozier in the New Zealand Ross Sea Dependency was first recorded by members of the British National Antarctic Expedition in 1902, led by Robert Falcon Scott. The colony is the most southerly known and has the longest emperor population record. During Scott's second Antarctic expedition starting in late June 1911, Wilson, Bowers, and Cherry-Garrard undertook the famous "worst journey in the world" to travel seventy miles from Cape Evans to visit this breeding colony during polar darkness. They were beset by bitter cold and winds throughout their thirty-six day trip and were successful in collecting several emperor penguin eggs for embryological studies.
The emperor and Adelie penguin colonies at Cape Crozier are the subject of long-term studies of population dynamics and social behavior. The Adelie penguin colonies are located on the bare ground of Cape Crozier. The emperor penguin colony is located along the base of the jagged cliffs of the Ross Ice Shelf.
The worst journey in the world:
The worst journey in the world:
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