•This huddling can consist of the males gathering together in densely packed groups known as tortues to better withstand to wind (Dargaud, 1993), or the formation of clusters, known as crèches, among the chicks. Within these groups, the penguins will huddle together and continually rotate from the peripheral edge to the inner circle to help endure the cold and wind (Campbell, 2007). On exceptionally cold days, the group will pack closer together, and on warmer days, the colony appears to spread out slightly more . Huddling is a key component of the emperor penguin’s mating system, in that it saves energy during the demanding winter months where they must fast while incubating the egg. It is believed that this behavior allows all members of the group an equal part in energy-conservation, enabling them to successfully incubate their eggs. Both males and females must endure long episodes of fasting, including about 45 days during their courtship plus an additional 65 days for the males during incubation (Gilbert et al., 2006). Thus, huddling behavior is especially necessary to the survival of male emperors, who are forced to live off of fat reserves for months during the courtship and incubation periods. Interestingly, it would appear that lighter penguins tend to form huddles more frequently, perhaps due to the fact that they need to conserve energy more than their heavier conspecifics. The emperors also seem to exhibit huddling behavior away from the colony and closer towards to edge of the ice, thus indicating that huddling behavior may be an instinctive social reaction of a group of penguins and a very valuable means of social thermoregulation.
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