Gentoo Penguins

East Falkland, Falkland Islands, 2005

A pair of penguins out for an afternoon stroll. In this photo, all's not as it appears. Walking 'hand-and-hand' along a quiet stretch of white sand beach, all appears to be well. Out of view, however, it's a bloodbath. Heading out to sea, penguins are running a gauntlet as a sea lion (behind the breaking wave) is on the hunt. Moments before I snapped this photo, a penguin is violently thrown through the air. Further down the beach, a badly injured penguin stumbles out of the water after narrowly escaping a similar attack. It's a sharp contrast to the peaceful scene portrayed by the photo.