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Brown Skuas Versus Gentoo Penguin

This entry is part 15 of 47 in the series British Antarctic Survey
For some reason a Gentoo Penguin and its chick became isolated from the colony and it wasn't long before a Brown Skua found the pair
For some reason a Gentoo Penguin and its chick became isolated from the colony and it wasn’t long before a Brown Skua found them
The Brown Skua tried to aggressively force the adult penguin away from its chick
The Brown Skua tried to aggressively force the adult penguin away from its chick
The Gentoo Penguin stands firm, warning off the Brown Skua with its own threats
The Gentoo Penguin stands firm, warning off the Brown Skua
Unfortunately this does not deter the Brown Skua and it persists
Unfortunately this doesn’t deter the Brown Skua and it persists
The Brown Skua switches technique, opting to hop side to side over the penguin in order to move the Gentoo and create space to take the chick
The Brown Skua switches technique, opting to hop side to side over the Gentoo Penguin in order to move it and create space to take the chick
The Gentoo continues to sit tight over its chick
The Gentoo continues to sit tight over its chick
The skua calls in for help from its mate who duely arrives
The Skua calls in for help from its mate who duly arrives

 

Second skua moves in for assistance
One Skua continues to hop over the adult  Gentoo and lure it away from its chick, whilst the other Skua sits waiting for an opening
Skuas persist with the hopping tactics alternating between the pair
The Skuas persist alternating the hopping tactics between the Gentoo and chick
Gentoo stands strong over his chick, fending off the skuas attacks.
The Gentoo stands strong over his chick, fending off the Skuas’ attacks.
The Gentoo's bill is a powerful form of defense which has the potential to severely injure the Skuas
The Gentoo’s bill is a powerful form of defence which has the potential to severely injure the Skuas

 

Eventually the Skua's patience pays off and a gap opens which one of the pair is quick to exploit
Eventually, the Skuas’ patience pays off and a gap opens which one of the pair is quick to exploit
The Gentoo is quick to react and turns to save his chick
But the Gentoo is quick to react and turns to save his chick
Gentoo managed to make a last gasp grab of the skua making him drop the chick and injuring the skuas leg
Fortunately, the Gentoo managed to make a last gasp grab of the Skua, making him drop the chick and injuring the Skua’s leg. The sorry Skua limps back to its chicks empty-handed, whilst the Gentoo chick lives on to fight another day.