by Alexandra Mansilla
Everything You Wanted To Know About Penguins — With Bertie Gregory
17 Apr 2025
Let’s be real — everyone loves penguins.
Maybe it is the tuxedo look. Maybe it is the waddle. Maybe it is the fact that they somehow survive in the most brutal environments while still looking like animated characters. And of course, they are hilarious.
But what are they really like? How do they live? And honestly… what is going on in their heads? (Especially when they give you that judgy stare.)
We spoke to Bertie Gregory, BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning wildlife cinematographer — a person who has spent much time with penguins and knows all their secrets. So we asked him the questions we have always wanted to ask — including the fun (and slightly weird) ones.
Just ahead of Earth Day (April 22), National Geographic is releasing Bertie’s latest icy adventure: "Secrets of the Penguins" — a brand new three-part series premiering April 22 on National Geographic and National Geographic Abu Dhabi, and streaming a day earlier (April 21) on Disney+. Don’t miss it — it is pure joy, and you will definitely love it.
— Hello Bertie! So, the first question for you: When do penguins actually learn to swim? At what age?
— Well, it totally depends on the species. In the case of the emperor penguin, which is the biggest, it is when they are about six months old that they take their first swim. In answer to your question, when they learn to swim, it is a really interesting thing, because they don’t really learn. They just kind of instantly know how to do it.
Their first swim looks like this: They jump into the sea, make a big splash, and look completely panicked. And then, almost instantly, it is like they go, “Hang on, I know what I’m doing.”
Deep down, there is this incredible ability in them, and suddenly, they become one of the world’s best free divers. They can go down to 500 metres and hold their breath for 20 minutes!
— Wow! Is it true that penguins have real love drama? Like... heartbreak, jealousy, maybe even cheating? Maybe you noticed something like that while working on Secrets of the Penguins!
— Yeah, that is a great question! Some penguins are actually kind of cheeky.
Take emperor penguins, for example. People often say they mate for life, but that is not really true. The window they have to start breeding is super short. So if they don’t find their previous partner in time, they just move on and find someone else. They live in such tough conditions that there is no time to wait around — they just have to get on with it. That is their strategy!
But others are different. For instance, the chinstrap penguin — the one with the little black stripe under its chin that makes it look like it is wearing a helmet — has high nest-site fidelity. That means not only do they return to the same partner, but to the exact same nest. They will be apart for months and then come back to that same spot, reunite, and raise the next generation together.
— And what about friendship? Did you observe any kind of it between penguins? Do they ever offend each other, or are they calm and friendly?
— Before, I wasn’t sure if penguins really had friendships. But after spending time with them, I was 100% convinced — they absolutely do. They form these little bonds. So when the adults leave the chicks, the chicks aren’t alone — they have each other. You can really see it. They gain confidence from one another.
When they reach an obstacle, like a crack in the ice, they really look at each other. You will often see one who is a bit braver step over first, and then as soon as that one goes, the rest follow. So yeah, they definitely have bonds.
Some of them are just naturally bolder — born leaders — and some are total little penguin sheep. They follow.
— Have you ever felt like a penguin was judging you?
— To be honest, yes, I have! One time, I was filming macaroni penguins — awesome little birds, super sassy, with bright yellow feathers on their heads.
Their colony was up on a cliffside, and to get to the ocean and back, they had to cross these big fields of tussock grass. Tussock grass can be huge, twice as tall as a person. The penguins make these cool little tunnels through it.
I was standing next to what I thought was one of their tunnels, but it turned out I was right in their path. I was just standing there, waiting, when suddenly I felt a sharp peck on my shin. I looked down and saw this little macaroni penguin pecking at me like, “Move!”
I looked at him like, “What are you doing?” and he looked up and sort of shrugged with his flippers — like, “Come on, you’re in the way.” I felt seriously judged. So I stepped aside, and he marched past me — actually bumped me with his flipper on the way, like, “Yeah, stay out of the way.”
I definitely felt judged by that penguin.
A still from "Macaroni Penguins Swim, Surf, and Dodge Seals to Survive" (2018)
— Haha, I love this story! If penguins could ask us one question, what do you think it would be?
— Fun question — serious answer. I think they would probably ask, “Why are you trashing the planet?”
In the case of the emperor penguin, they are quite unique in the animal kingdom. Their sole, primary threat is climate change, which, of course, is caused by us humans. Most animals are affected by climate change, but they usually face other threats too, like overfishing, poaching, and deforestation.
But emperor penguins? Most of them will never even see a human in their entire life. They will never actually meet the cause of their greatest threat. And that is a pretty powerful, moving thought.
— I was wondering, when you were working on the film and got quite close to the penguins, how did they react?
— In most wildlife filming, we use long zoom lenses and have to stay far away to avoid disturbing the animals. But penguins are different.
In most places where penguins live, there aren’t many land-based predators. So when they are on land, they are really relaxed — and even curious. It is kind of a dream scenario. You can get quite close and use the same lenses, or the same focal lengths, that you’d use to film a human drama. And that is amazing because it lets us really bring out emotion — we can get close.
Most of them just ignore you. But, like people, each penguin has its own personality. Some are bold; some are shy. And some will just waddle right over, like, “What are you doing?” — as if to say, “What is this weird alien doing in my penguin world?”
— The last one — and honestly, it is an obvious question. I am sure you will hear it a bunch of times, but I still have to ask: What is something about penguins that people never expect?
— Well, in the first episode, we filmed penguins jumping off a 50-foot ice cliff for the very first time.
So, I guess this might be a bit of a weird answer to your question, but before this project, I thought penguins couldn’t fly. And after watching that... I still think they can’t fly.
They tried in that episode — and they failed.
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