An Emperor Penguin family features on the Royal Australian Mint’s new 50 c Coloured Uncirculated Coin, which shows two parents and a chick standing on an ice floe before an azure sea. In the background are other Emperor Penguins, a species endemic to the Australian Antarctic Territory.

This elegant coin, in the familiar 50-cent shape, will appeal to collectors and anyone with an interest in wildlife of the icy south.