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These emperor penguins accidentally took a video selfie and it’s the coolest thing you’ll see today

The curious birds found the camera near an Antarctic research station.
The curious birds found the camera near an Antarctic research station. The curious birds found the camera near an Antarctic research station.

Two penguins in Antarctica took a video selfie after coming across an unattended camera and it has made for some rather interesting footage.

The birds filmed themselves at the Auster Rookery near Australia’s Mawson Antarctic research station – which is the country’s first station in the continent.

The camera was left on ice by Eddie Gault, who is a member of the Australian Antarctic Division.

According to the organisation, it “didn’t take long for the naturally curious birds to seize the opportunity for a selfie”.

The clip shows an emperor penguin waddling up to the camera and knocking it over before being joined by a companion.

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are native to Antarctica, with the emperor being the largest of the 18 penguin species.

They’re also known to breed during the Antarctic winter when temperatures can drop down to -50C, with thousands coming to Auster Rookery to find a mate.

Scientists involved with the Australian Antarctic programmes study the lives of these penguins and one of their aims is to understand how human activities affect them.

Emperor penguins.
Emperor penguins. Emperor penguins are the largest of 18 penguin species (Vladsilver/Getty Images) (vladsilver/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The organisation says on its website: “Emperor penguin populations are projected to undergo a moderately rapid decline over the next three generations owing to the effects of projected climate change.

“However, it should be noted that there is considerable uncertainty over future climatic changes and how these will impact the species.”

Emperor penguins are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, where they currently hold a “near threatened” status.