"Cuverville Island 6" Antarctica Things to Do Tip by leigh767

One of the most important rules one has to follow when in Antarctica is the 15 feet rule: do not get within 15 feet of the wildlife because our presence would scare them. Research has shown that some penguins alter their behaviours for as long as 3 days after encountering a human being! The best thing to do is stand still or sit down somewhere. Soon, the curious ones will naturally come up to you instead.

When you are walking on the penguin highways and see a penguin coming towards you, the penguin has the "right of way". In other words, please step off the penguin highway and crouch down and wait for the penguin to pass.

At Cuverville, my 6 foot tall friend was so busy taking pictures on the highway that he did not fully realize that the penguin was heading straight towards him. When the penguin hesitated in its tracks, five or six penguins behind it also had to stop. This created Antarctica's own version of a traffic jam and all the penguins behind the first one were leaning left and right to see "what was the hold up at the front". Finally, the second penguin lost its patience and whacked the first one off the highway with its fins. The other penguins carried along. Prime time entertainment.