There are many varieties of penguins, from the largest emperor species, which is about four feet tall, to the smallest species, only about one foot tall. Rockhoppers are about two feet tall. They don’t live on big ice fields; they live on bare rocky cliffs in different areas of oceans far to the south. There are four subspecies of Rockhoppers, the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western.
These penguins are white on their bellies, but otherwise they are mostly black. They also have yellow and black feathers, called a crest, that stand out on their otherwise smoothly-feathered heads. Their beaks and feet are a contrasting orangish color.
These penguins avoid sheltered bays and beaches for nest sites and prefer bare shores exposed to the winds or bare areas atop rocky cliffs where the winds are even stronger. Nests are only shallow scrapings in the ground. A colony sometimes makes an awful racket with their sharp shrieks. They are known for being rather cranky birds! As a matter of fact, they are endangered, but their aggressive personalities make it hard for scientists to study or help them.
Rockhoppers have the same mate for life, though they spend over half the year in different locations, just being together long enough to raise their chick. The males return to the nesting site first to claim territories for their nests, and the females arrive a bit later. Since penguins don’t fly, getting to shore on the rocky, inhospitable shores where they live is a big challenge. Here is where their aggressive personalities come in handy. They get on shore, just to be washed off again by a wave ... over and over. But eventually they gain their purpose and are able to set up their nests.
Up to two eggs are laid in the simple nest, but only one is usually raised. Both parents take turns incubating it until the little chick breaks out of its shell as a blackish and nearly blind baby. Both parents care for it until it is ready to live on its own, about four months after it hatches.
When we think about the personality of the rockhopper, we might think of all of us who are Christians. We usually have a personality strength that has a weakness that goes along with it. It is good to learn to be patient with one another as our lead verse teaches, realizing the Lord made each of us to be suited to the life He has ordained for us to live, and He also keeps working with us to make us become more like Him.
(to be continued)
Messages of God’s Love 4/23/2023