Like the famed white bear which roams the Arctic ice, the resolutely Antarctic penguin is deemed a “polar” animal. The word polar, when you think about it, is a suggestive word: it suggests great and opposite extremes. True to the word, the penguin is a warm-blooded creature that lives in the coldest of climates. The bird is black and, at once, white. Within this language of opposites, would it be fair to say the penguin is also night and day?

Currently, I help supervise the Animal Ambassador Team (AAT) at SeaWorld Orlando. This is an area of the training department that many of you may not realize exists, but you’ve probably seen in action. You may have interacted with the animals at the SeaGarden, attend a school where we’ve made an educational visit, or seen animals on one of our many appearances on TV.