It is not a dramatic moment at first glance. Just a penguin, small against a wide stretch of ice, moving away from the rest.

A clip from Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World went viral on TikTok at the beginning of 2026, depicting the doomed fate of a strangely stubborn penguin.

A viral clip of a penguin heading inland towards mountains, dubbed the 'Nihilist Penguin,' has resonated online as a symbol ...

A captivating clip from Werner Herzog's documentary 'Encounters at the End of the World' features a solitary penguin striding aimlessly into a desolate, icy terrain. This viral sensation invites ...

However, the clip itself is not recent. It originates from 'Encounters at the End of the World', a 2007 documentary directed ...

A new, feathery, meme is spreading on social media. People are posting clips from a 2007 documentary showing a penguin ...

Meet the nihilist penguin: the little bird that broke ranks, walked away from the colony, and stole the internet's heart ...

A single Adélie penguin waddles away from its colony. The sea—its pantry, its purpose—lies behind it. Ahead: barren Antarctic mountains, a place no penguin should go. The clip is old, filmed in 2007 ...

Filmmaker Werner Herzog has shared the story behind a penguin scene from his 2007 documentary that has resurfaced online as ...

A clip from Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary, "Encounters at the End of the World," has become a viral meme known as the “Nihilist Penguin.” The footage shows a lone penguin walking away from its ...

The video shows a lone penguin quietly walking away from its colony towards the mountains ...

As jokes about ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith spiraled into a viral fraternity punchline, Smiley said the timing and the people ...