Penguins may look graceful when gliding beneath the waves, but on land their two-legged waddle is decidedly less impressive (and a whole lot cuter). 

These tottering chicks were filmed recently pecking at a camera and stumbling about on the snow-doused rocks around Port Lockroy in the Antarctic Peninsula. "The gentoo chicks are often left on their own for a period of time while the adults head out to sea to feed," Lauren Farmer, an expedition leader in the polar tourism industry who filmed the footage, explained to Caters News.

Gentoo penguins, which may actually be a group comprised of four separate species – breed on ice-free surfaces at a number of sites on the sub-Antarctic islands. At many of the colonies, rocks are used to form small fortresses which the adult penguins line with feathers and moss before laying their eggs inside. The best "breeding stones" become hotly contested items and noisy skirmishes sometimes break out as the birds battle for possession over the precious pebbles. Chicks are fed in their nests for about a month before heading off to sea.

Port Lockroy is one of the most popular spots to view the breeding penguins and thousands of tourists flock to the area each year. Scientists have become increasingly concerned about the impact people may have on the breeding colonies, but tourists may not be their biggest threat. Breeding success has decline in recent years and, while gawking humans may be partially to blame, the exact reasons for the change in numbers is not yet clear.