Last updated at 21:33 23 October 2007

It is one of the most extraordinary sights

in nature: more than 10,000 King Penguins

standing shoulder to shoulder at St

Andrew's bay on the island of South

Georgia, preparing to breed.

The 3ft tall creatures — part of a colony of

more than 100,000 on the Atlantic island

close to Antarctica — create a living

landscape of breathtaking scale and

colour.

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The King Penguins lay their eggs in

late November, with a peak around

mid-December.

They don't build nests —

instead the male and female of each

mating couple take it in turns to incubate a

single egg on their feet over the course of

two months.

When incubating they stand rooted to

the spot just a flipper's length from the

next one.

The childcare is surprisingly

egalitarian: the male takes the first incubation

shift of two weeks, then the female takes the

next fortnight, after which they swap every three

or four days.

But it's not just the urge to breed which impels

penguins to come ashore at certain times of the

year — sometimes they need to change their

clothes.

Feathers wear out and lose their insulating

properties, so their waterproof — and, for a bird

which doesn't fly, surprisingly aerodynamic — suits

must be replaced.

After about 12 days of moulting on shore, they have

lost virtually all their vibrant plumage and stand

almost naked.

Slowly, their new feathers appear and after 30

days they are ready to go back into the water —

with a brand-new suit.

Perhaps the new outfit helps in finding a mate the following

year, because unfortunately the divorce rate

is high.

Only 19 per cent of the King Penguins

take up with the same mating partner

the following year.

Maybe they like a change — or perhaps they just can't tell

each other apart.