You might not think of an Emperor Penguin when you are asked what animal might be the toughest. But when it comes to enduring extremely cold weather conditions, the Emperor Penguin is truly the king of the Antarctic. They are the largest of all the penguins, but what the males of the species go through to preserve their species is insane. Their breeding habits start with a 30-75 mile hike inland on the frozen ice of Antarctica. That is the easy part. Wait 'til you hear what is in store for them next.

After the female lays her egg, she heads back out to sea for feeding, leaving the egg with the male to be Mr. Mom. His job is simple, but not easy; he must keep the egg on the top of his feet so it does not come into contact with the super cold ice. All other penguins will share this duty between male and female, but not for the Emperor Penguins. Since it can get rather windy and cold at the South Pole (90 MPH and 40 degrees - that is below zero), the colony of a few thousand males huddle together and take turns rotating from the middle to the outside. They must do this until the egg hatches, not 65 seconds later, or 65 minutes, or even 65 hours. This is a 65 DAY journey that really goes nowhere, except through the coldest months of the year! Just think about that the next time you think it is too cold outside to go running!

The female eventually returns when the chick hatches, or shortly thereafter, and then the male gets to head back out to sea for his well-deserved hunting/fishing trip. This one is about a month long.

The lessons we learn from the Emperor Penguins are simple. First and foremost, endure the elements! Stop whining and complaining when it hits 40 degrees! Leave the whining and complaining for the other teams. Also, from the team bonding perspective, be willing to share the wealth (or warmth in this case). One penguin in the freezing cold for two months straight in the Antarctic would not survive, but thousands do!