The title comes from the name of a species of penguin.

Emperor Penguin is arguably the hardiest of all Earth's dwellers. You see them on nature shows. Basically, around the time that they have the egg, the female does this intricate transfer in subzero temperatures, and the male puts it on the top of his feet, under a sack of fat to keep it warm. The mother takes off, for I think four, five or six months, travels the oceans, feeding, stocking up--feed, feed, feed, feed, feed--makes her way back, treks across land, and then feeds the now ready-to-hatch egg what she got.

In the meantime, the males-only males-congregate and form this massive mass against ridiculous temperatures and conditions, not a living thing except them, and basically they form this mass where they kind of rotate from the centre of the mass to the outside. So you have to do your time and you're always moving in a kind of circle, and you have to do your time out against the elements, but then eventually you get to move in and get warm, and that way they survive. The Mom shows up, takes the egg, it hatches--she feeds it, and then it goes on. Gord Downie

For more information on the Emperor Penguin please see Wild Sanctuary. Douglas Quin who took the picture on the left, travelled to Antarctica to record penguins. For links to his journal and other pictures go to the people section of the Wild Sanctuary.