Emperor Penguins Selfie Gets Viral Again! The Story of their Funny Yet Wholesome Picture

Emperor penguins have always been curious and social but their ability to frame an excellent video shot was proven when an expeditioner with the Australian Antarctic Division left behind his camera on the ice while inspecting a colony of penguins. The short-legged flightless birds scuttled over to examine the equipment.

The emperor penguins did not push the record button; it was left rolling already. However, the camera was able to capture a humorous 38-second video.

According to the Australian Antarctic Division, it did not take too long for those naturally-curious short-legged birds to seize that tremendous but brief opportunity of taking a selfie.

The Selfie and How It Went Down

The shot opens with a very tight shot of an Emperor penguin's clawed feet as it waddled over to the camera. The savvy aquatic bird somehow managed to tip the recording camera skyward. The camera angle perfectly captured the penguin, utterly framing the bird's head and belly as it peered down at the lens.

Another penguin came over to join the first one in the perfect camera frame. They appeared to mug for the camera for several seconds and even bent down inquisitively and chirping softly at this strange object nestling before them at their clawed feet.

The penguins gazed at the horizon, the two shaking their bellies and heads. For now, there were no longer interested in staying in the limelight.

Eddie Gault is the expeditioner that left his camera behind in the snow while checking out a penguin colony. The Emperor penguins got their selfies taken near Australia's Mawson research station in Antarctica.

According to the Australian Antarctic Division, the Emperor penguins are hardy species as they can breed conveniently during Earth's worst weather conditions. In the face of extreme temperatures or frigid weather, these penguins huddle together for bodily warmth. They take turns in the coldest and warmest parts of the group.

These Emperor penguins are not really the first flightless birds that went viral from the government agency's social media profiles. It posted an adorable video of a penguin in January as it leaped onto a boat from the icy water.

Concerns About Animals Owning Copyrights

The Washington Post pointed out that this selfie video clip may have been taken in order to prevent the legal troubles of another recent but high-profile animal selfie. This was because the camera was already in operation when the curious penguins gathered around it.

The Washington Post refers to the trendy 'monkey selfie' case, which took several years to resolve. This was after an Old World monkey known as the macaque snapped a photograph of himself right in Indonesia's jungles. The short-tailed monkey took the selfie with a wildlife photographer's camera.

This raised many questions thrown left, right, and center, which somehow got into what many term 'philosophical territories.' The major question was: can an ordinary monkey own the copyright for an image it created?

According to a report by NPR's Camila Domonoske, a federal judge answered 'No' to that question. It was argued that 'no indication' animals are included in the Copyright Act.

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