'Keep Up Buddy!': Emperor Penguin Slides Alongside Expeditioners in Antarctica

An emperor penguin did its best to keep up with a party of expeditioners trekking over sea ice in Antartica on September 6.

The group from the Australian Antarctic Program was walking to the Auster Rookery near Mawson Research Station when members spotted the penguin sliding on its belly.

The video, filmed by Mawson Research Station leader Matt Williams, shows the team crunching through the ice as the emperor penguin continues to slide and then stand up alongside them.

Williams told Storyful: “As the rest of my team headed to the rookery I had to go too, but called to him and asked if he wanted to come too – he responded, oddly … so I kept talking to him … and every time I did, he responded. It was very cute.”

A post on the Australian Antarctic Program’s Facebook page said that expeditioners followed strict guidelines when it came to approaching wildlife, remaining at least 50 metres away from emperor penguins when they were breeding and moulting.

However, “sometimes emperor penguins just want to tag along,” the post added. Credit: Matt Williams/Australian Antarctic Program via Storyful