Penguins spend their maximum of life in the ocean. Even though they are flightless marine birds; they are efficient swimmers. Penguins swim with the help of their flippers which acts as also wings in the water. The waterproof feathers protect the penguins from the harsh cold and keep them out of wet.
The other main contribution to swimming is their body structure; the streamlined torpedo-shaped body aids them to swim precisely and smoothly.
The way penguins swim in water is almost similar to that they fly in the water. While waddling on land, penguins appear to be funny and clumsy; whereas, in water penguins swim fast spectacularly with a lot of grace.
Continue readingWhen you look up the biological classification of a penguin, you will observe that they are classified as marine birds. But how are penguins different from other birds? Well, there are many ways in which penguins share their physical characteristics with other birds. But at the same time, penguins are different from birds in many ways. These differences don’t mean that penguins are not birds, they are simply birds of a different kind and their habitat and way of living is uncommon for most birds.
In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the ways in which penguins are different from other birds.
Continue readingPenguins live in some of the most inhospitable regions of the world. Even in these regions, penguins have predators in water and on land. Have you ever thought how do penguins protect themselves from predators? Well, penguins have evolved to develop several strategies that give them an advantage against predators that might be looking to hunt the penguins or their chicks.
Continue readingPenguins are flightless aquatic birds. Though they are birds they have much unique behavior from other birds. But as any other birds, penguins kiss using their beaks. The penguins rub their beak on their mates or show their love in the action of preening the feathers. The behavior of kissing amongst penguins is most common among other species of birds.
Continue readingSeeing the cute and cuddly penguins in harsh weather locations like Antarctica often brings this question to mind, how do penguins adapt to their environment? While some penguins like the emperor penguins stay in Antarctica through the harsh winter, other penguins like Galapagos penguins live in a moderate climate where they have adapted to the location they live in. There are several ways in which penguins have adapted to live in varying levels of adverse conditions.
Continue readingPenguins are marine flightless birds that usually have the same diet of many other seabirds. Penguins’ diet includes small fish, squid, and crustaceans. It is not a hard task for the penguins to eat their prey. They have a hook-shaped bill which can catch hold of the prey without letting them slip down.
There is also spiky bristle that faces back towards the throat which can effortlessly help in clutching the dinner to swallow. Penguins eat their food when they are in the ocean underwater.
Continue readingThe Galapagos penguin that lives in the north of the equator, this small species is confined to the Galapagos Islands, which are on both sides of the equator. It has few degrees of latitude.
The Galapagos penguins are closely related to the other temperature penguins that live on the coasts of Africa, and South America and are more distantly related to the Antarctic penguins. These Galapagos species can survive at the equator because of the unique biogeography of the Galapagos Islands.
In Antarctica, cold and productive water travels from the Antarctica Ocean via the Humboldt Current, which flows to this island group.
Continue readingThe female and male penguin’s first bond and then mate to lay an egg the size of a softball on the ice in midwinter. The male thrusts the egg up onto his feet, where it is protected and cushioned by the male’s “brood patch,” a warm fold of feathers and his bulging stomach which rests atop the feet. The egg remains in that place for 9 weeks until it hatches during the coldest months of the Antarctic winter.
Both female and male penguins protect their eggs and newly hatched chicks by enveloping them under a fold of body skin. During the reproductive cycle of the first part the mother penguin has to fast, but after eggs are laid, they go away to fatten them.
Continue readingSome of the penguins live in icy places like the Antarctic region where the temperature of the water never increases beyond the freezing points. Certain species of the penguin lives in the North. However, maximum of the penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.
These flightless birds that live on the ice and ice packed oceans but have you ever think that how do penguins stay warm? How do they survive in such killing weather and temperature?
We know there are lots of people there who want to see the answer to all these questions. We will surely explain to you the answer in detail, but for this, you have to read the below article first.
Continue readingIf you have seen penguins in a zoo or on TV, you might have wondered how do penguins communicate. There are many ways for penguins to communicate and they are expressive birds that make use of body language, vocalization and different types of vocal tones to express how they are feeling. Penguins can get quite aggressive if another penguin is trying to steal their mate, their nesting place or their eggs.
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