Artwork / Crime Against Nature / Papa’s Milk (Emperor Penguin)

emperor penguin father and chick, painting by wildlife artist Gwenn Seemel
Gwenn Seemel
Papa’s Milk (Emperor Penguin)
2012
acrylic on panel
10 x 10 inches

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Boys can be just as committed to childcare as girls.

Emperor penguin parents work together to raise their young. Directly after laying her egg, the female takes off to feed in the ocean for two months, leaving the male to incubate the egg. The chick’s first meal comes from its father in the form of crop milk. Prolactin, the hormone that causes lactation in mammals, is responsible for the production of crop milk as well.

As teenagers, some boys babysit.

See all the images and text by downloading or purchasing Crime Against Nature, the book.

penguin painting by Gwenn Seemel
detail image