The penguin is the only bird that can swim but cannot fly. In addition, it is the only bird that walks standing. In this topic I will tell you about these amazing creatures. Penguins are wingless waterfowl, living in their natural environment only in the lands of the southern hemisphere. Most penguins spend half their lives in the ocean and the other half on land. Basically, most penguin species are found in Antarctica and some of the other coldest areas of the hemisphere. Some few species can survive in temperate and even tropical latitudes. In general, penguins are created for life in the sea. Some species spend as much as 75% of their lives in water; they come to land only to lay eggs and wait for offspring. Heavy, hard bones act like a heavy diver's belt in the water, allowing the penguins to remain underwater. Their wings, shaped like fins, help them "steer" underwater at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. The streamlined body, paddle-like legs, insulating layer of fat and waterproof feathers all serve to ensure their efficient and comfortable stay underwater. They also have a remarkable ability to dive deep (more on this we'll talk below). In addition, in order not to lose heat, penguins have hard, very compactly arranged feathers (up to 70 per sq. cm), which provide waterproofing.
Penguins coat their feathers with fat from a gland near the tail to increase impenetrability. Their black and white coloring makes them almost invisible to predators both above and below. Like most birds, penguins have little or no sense of smell (good for them in their crowded colonies). Like other birds, penguins have limited taste buds. It is believed that their vision is better when they are underwater. Scientists suspect penguins may be nearsighted on land. Penguins are considered by scientists to be the most social birds. Colonies can contain thousands of individuals. (As many as 24 million penguins visit Antarctica!) Even at sea, they tend to swim and feed in groups. Most species of penguins build nests, but nests may only consist of rock piles, scraps, or voids in the mud. Emperor penguins do not build nests; they store the egg between their legs under a loose fold of skin called a brood pouch.
The entire body of the penguin is covered with small scale-like feathers, most of which consist of only rods, without fans. The head of some species is decorated with tufts of long, bristly feathers, while others have tail feathers that are also long. The head is small, the beak is as long as the head, straight, strong, hard, laterally compressed; the neck is of medium length, passing into an almost cone-shaped body; the legs are short, almost entirely enclosed in the skin of the body, as a result of which they allow only short steps; the fingers are highly developed, all four are directed forward, but only three of them are connected by a membrane. On the ground, the bird stands vertically, resting on the back surface of the metatarsus, but when walking, the latter stands almost vertically. Penguins walk with great difficulty, waddling; wanting to avoid danger, they lie down on their belly and glide with the help of their wings and legs so quickly that it is difficult to catch up with them, especially on a snow-covered surface. Penguins swim and dive excellently and with amazing ease overcome the stormy waves of the open ocean - their real sphere. Unlike other birds, penguins swim using only their wings, using them alternately; the legs serve solely as a rudder and are extended straight back. Penguins' food consists of fish, crustaceans and soft-bodied animals. Penguins devote a significant part of the year to breeding and at this time tens and hundreds of thousands gather on the most secluded islands of the Antarctic ocean. At this time, even non-brooding birds live on land. They nest as they generally live - in societies. They lay two white or greenish-white eggs, which are watched by both parents in turn, since penguins have a strong habit of stealing other people's eggs. This explains the frequent fact that chicks are in the same nest. various types. The chicks hatch thickly covered with down and grow quickly, thanks to the extremely plentiful food constantly supplied by the parents. Towards the end of hatching, the plumage of the latter is torn off to the last extent and they begin to molt, often retiring to secluded corners for this. Molting, judging by observations in captivity, proceeds very quickly, ending in about two weeks. At the same time, penguins do not go into the water and, therefore, do not feed, which is obviously easy for them, thanks to the thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
Penguin meat is very tasteless. The northernmost limit of penguin distribution runs in the Atlantic Ocean through the island of Tristan d'Acuña, in the Indian Ocean through the island of Amsterdam, and in the Pacific through the Galapagos Islands; they are also found near the coasts of New Zealand, South Australia, the southern tip of Africa and along the Pacific coast South America. This family can be divided into three groups, well characterized not only by external, but also by anatomical characteristics. The first embraces forms that are large in size, have a long, thin, slightly curved beak and includes the genera Aptenodytes and Pygoscelis. This includes the Patagonian penguin (A. patagonica) and the long-billed penguin (A. longirostris). The second group - the genus Eudyptes - has a shorter beak, but high and is easily recognized by the beautiful yellow superciliary tufts of feathers. This includes the golden-haired penguin (E. chrysocome). The third group has a very short beak, strongly compressed laterally, upper jaw crocheted, bottom straight cut; there is no Ukrainian. This includes the Cape penguin (Spheniscus demersus) from South Africa, Spheniscus minor from Australia and the most northern of all species - Spheniscus mendiculus from the Galapagos Islands. Fossil remains of penguins are few in number, but a large form of penguins (Palaeeudyptes antarcticus) is known from the Upper Eocene layers of New Zealand, proving the antiquity of this group of birds.
Types of penguins:
The African penguin, Spheniscus demersus, is also called the Blackfoot penguin. This penguin was found off the coast of southern Africa. African penguins can swim at speeds of approximately 4.3 to 15 miles per hour (7-24 km/h), and they also make sounds reminiscent of donkeys. The number of African (donkey) penguins has decreased so much that it is time to take urgent action. Last year in South Africa There were only 26 thousand pairs of penguins compared to 121 thousand in 1956, and at the beginning of the last century the population of these birds reached two million individuals. Scientists are calling for urgent measures to be taken - this is the only way to stop further population decline. In addition, specialists must establish what reasons caused such a sharp decline number of penguins. According to Peter Barham, from the University of Bristol (UK), the main factor here may be a reduction in food resources. In particular, it is likely that this was caused by overfishing of sardines and anchovies, or by the movement of fish to other areas due to global warming. It is also possible that the penguins were simply weakened by pollution environment, which affected their ability to obtain food. Among others negative factors include seals preying on penguins, oil spills and the reduction in cool breeding sites in colonies caused by climate change.
Falkland Islands penguins
The Magellanic penguin is a summer resident of the islands (with an estimated population of 100,000 pairs) that arrives to breed on the islands in September. These penguins nest in burrows dug to a depth of 4 to 6 feet. It is locally nicknamed "donkey" because of its loud and harsh call, often uttered upon entering a burrow and also used to receive news from birds swimming in the sea some distance from the shore. This species feeds on small crustaceans, small fish and smaller varieties of squid than those caught by humans for sale. However, their food diet may still be a source of potential conflict with commercial fishing and other marine operations. Magellan penguins leave their nests in April, apparently heading to the Patagonian shelf waters for the winter, or perhaps migrating far north to Brazil. Here they face problems such as poaching and oil pollution. An estimated 20,000 adults and 22,000 teenagers die along the Argentine coast each year. Research in the Falkland Islands recently showed a decline in Magellan penguin numbers of 10% each year, but because the species is highly secretive, its numbers are difficult to estimate. The Falkland Islands are one of the most important breeding grounds for birds in the world and, given the challenges faced by the species in Chile and Argentina, the survival of healthy Falkland Islands populations may be unexpectedly important to the survival of the species in general.
The Galapagos penguin is unique among other penguins in that its habitat is not Antarctic and subantarctic regions, not even temperate ones, but the Galapagos Islands, located just a few tens of kilometers from the equator. The air temperature in their habitats ranges from +18-+28°C, water temperature - +22-+24°C. About 90% of penguins live on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela. Adults reach a height of about 50 cm and a weight of about 2.5 kg. The main diet is small fish and crustaceans. Galapagos penguins have a black head and back, a white stripe running from the throat up to the head and reaching the eyes, and the penguins are white in front. The mandible and the tip of the mandible are black, the mandible and the skin around the eyes are pinkish-yellow. Birds usually incubate eggs for 38-40 days, alternating male and female. At the age of 60-65 days, the chicks go to sea with the adults. Galapagos penguins nest near the water. The number of individuals is estimated at 1500-2000 adult birds. The GALAPAGOS PENGUIN species is listed in the International Red Book.
The magnificent penguin. The magnificent penguin is also called the yellow-eyed penguin. It belongs to the penguin family. Also known as the Antipodean penguin and Hoiho.
The emperor penguin is the largest penguin species. If he just stands hunched over on land, his height will be 90 centimeters. If he moves, then his height is as much as 110-120 centimeters. The weight of this penguin reaches 20-45 kilograms. In terms of color, emperor penguins have the following differences: the dorsal side is dark or grayish-blue; on the head this color usually turns black. There are round yellowish-orange spots near the ears that extend to the underside of the neck, which gradually fade to white. When is the emperor penguin born? Its body is covered with white or grayish-white down. Emperor penguins nest along the shores of Antarctica, south to 78 degrees south latitude. The nesting grounds of emperor penguins, unlike others, occur during a very harsh time of year - the Antarctic winter, and already at the end of the Antarctic summer the first emperor penguins are born. Usually at first they do not behave very actively, they slouch. They lead a passive lifestyle, but then the situation changes, and penguin pairs begin to form in April.
Golden-haired penguin(lat. Eudyptes crysolophus) is a genus of crested penguins. Characteristic. Having, as is typical of all penguins, a dark dorsal side with an almost black head and a white belly, they are distinguished by the presence of tufts of golden-yellow feathers above the eyes, forming a crest. The body length of golden-haired penguins is 65-76 cm. Golden-haired penguins are distributed throughout the southern Atlantic and Indian oceans. Golden-haired penguins nest on South Georgia, South Shetland, South Orkney and some other subantarctic islands. Their colonies are very numerous - up to 600 thousand nesting individuals. In total, there are at least 2 million adult golden-bellied penguins on the coasts and valleys of Macquarie Island alone. Golden-haired penguins nest on the ground, making very primitive nests. Two eggs are laid, the second four days after the first. Both eggs are fertilized, but the first is always smaller than the second, and the bird usually does not incubate it. The duration of incubation is 35 days, with changes of parents characteristic of penguins. Adult birds raise their chicks for about two to three weeks, after which a “nursery” is formed, followed by molting and going to sea around the end of January. Specific feature colonies of golden-haired penguins - is a strong smell, reminiscent of rotten fish, which can be smelled several kilometers from the colony. The species GOLDEN-HAIRED PENGUIN is listed in the International Red Book.
Humboldt Penguin. This type of penguin is found only along the west coast of South America, in the zone of influence of the Peruvian Current (Foc Island). A separate colony of these penguins exists on the Puniuil Islands. In total, there are about 12,000 pairs of individuals of this species left in the world. 8 of them nest in Chile, 4 in Peru. The Humboldt penguin is listed in the Red Book as one of the endangered species. Due to the fact that there is now overfishing, the size of this population is significantly reduced. Also contributing to the population decline is the fact that some birds simply get entangled in fishing nets and die there. The size of an individual Humboldt penguin is approximately 70 centimeters. Its weight is about 4 kilograms. The Humboldt Penguin is very similar to the Magellanic Penguin. The coloration of female Humboldt penguins is similar to that of males, but the females are slightly smaller in size than the males. Penguins of this species lay eggs from March to December. Depending on where the colony is located, the peak may occur either in April-May or in September-October. This is a completely possible situation. When Humboldt penguins raise two broods per year, if environmental conditions support this.
King Penguin(lat. Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a flightless bird from the penguin family (Spheniscidae). The king penguin is similar to the emperor penguin, but is slightly smaller in size and brighter in color. The body length of the king penguin is from 91 to 96 cm. Adult birds have a gray back, large bright orange spots on the sides of the black head and on the chest. The belly is white. Chicks are brown in color. Spreading. The king penguin nests on the islands near Tierra del Fuego: South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, Marion, Crozier, Kerguelen (island), Heard, Macquarie.
The penguin can be considered a highly unusual and mysterious animal, so it is not surprising that it attracts the attention of many people. So the penguin can be found in many literary works, including Gorky and Semenov-Spassky. Several animated films were also filmed, for example, “The Adventures of Little Penguin Lolo” and “Catch the Wave!”, because penguins used special attention from the children. Other interesting facts include the existence of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, which plays in the strongest hockey league on the planet, and the fact that the penguin is one of the official symbols of the Linux company.
Interesting facts about penguins:
All penguins live in the southern hemisphere, sometimes going far to the north (to the Galapagos Islands, almost at the equator) or to densely populated cities (the North Harbor area in Sydney, Australia). Cody's homeland is Shiverpool in Antarctica, but he is happy to live on the tropical island of Pen Gu.
Penguins can stand upright because their webbed feet are located at the very end of their body. This is also what makes them such fast and strong swimmers, especially when combined with their oar-shaped wings. This is how Cody manages to catch up with Mikey the whale and get a ticket to the Big Z tournament.
King penguins like Jik are very good divers. In search of fish and other food, they constantly dive to a depth of 100 meters, and sometimes even 200 meters. However, Jik is lazy and would rather wait until Lani brings him edible shellfish.
Cody is a rock penguin with a fiery temperament and long yellow feathers near his eyes. They are full of energy and often jump on rocks - that's how they got their name!
Gentoo penguins, to which Lani belongs, swim the fastest of all other penguins, sometimes reaching speeds of 36 km/h. Such speed helps Lani to be an excellent rescuer.
King penguin chicks - like Katie and Chumaz - hatch naked and develop feathers within a few weeks. The chick cannot live without its parents until it grows waterproof feathers, and this can happen up to 13 months after its birth.
Can swim, but cannot fly. The penguin is the only bird that can swim but cannot fly. In addition, it is the only bird that walks standing.
Penguins have feathers that grow evenly. Only a few birds have feathers that grow evenly throughout their body; These are usually flightless species such as penguins.
Which feet should you use to walk on water? Birds that walk in shallow waters, such as herons and stilts, have long legs. Birds that walk on carpets of floating leaves and bogs are characterized by long fingers and claws to prevent them from falling through. Penguins have short, thick legs located far behind their center of gravity. For this reason, they can only walk with their body upright and in short steps. If it is necessary to move faster, they lie on their bellies and glide, as if on a sleigh, pushing off the snow with flipper-like wings and legs.
The best diver. What do penguins do at a depth of one and a half kilometers? Japanese biologists installed cameras on the backs of animals, which for a long time carried out in the depths of the sea. As the authors of the project explain, Sun rays They penetrate only 150 meters deep into the ocean, so it is still unknown what they do at a depth of half a kilometer, for example, emperor penguins or elephant seals, which can dive one and a half kilometers.
Can swim for three weeks. The Patagonian penguin can swim for two to three weeks and cover a distance of up to 1,500 km.
The fastest swimmer. The Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) can swim at speeds of up to 27 km/h.
Diving from the surface of the water. Penguins, loons Gavia immer, grebes, diving ducks Clangula hyemalis and many other birds dive from the surface of the water. Lacking the inertia of diving divers, they use the movements of their legs and (or) wings to dive. In such species, the legs are usually located at the rear end of the body, like a propeller under the stern of a ship. When diving, they can reduce buoyancy by pressing their feathers tightly and squeezing their air sacs.
The most evil penguin. Rock penguins have a very angry character, are noisy and aggressive.
Probably the most amazing birds on our planet are penguins. We will present you interesting facts about these cute creatures in this article. This is the only bird that swims beautifully, but cannot fly. In addition, the penguin can walk vertical position. This is a flightless bird belonging to the order Penguinidae.
Habitat
Vast areas, mainly in the cold regions of the Southern Hemisphere, are where penguins live. The largest populations are recorded in Antarctica. In addition, they feel quite comfortable in South Africa and southern Australia. Almost the entire coastline of South America is the territory where penguins live.
Name
The origin of the name of these birds has three versions. The first explains it by a combination of the words pen - “head” and gwyn - “white”. It once referred to the great auk (now extinct). Since these birds are similar in appearance, the name was transferred to the penguin.
According to the second version, the penguin got its name from English word pinwing, which translates as “hairpin wing”. According to the third version, the name of the bird comes from the Latin pinguis, which means “fat.”
Types of penguins
Do you know how many species of penguins live on our planet? Modern classification these birds are grouped into six genera and nineteen species. We will introduce you to some of them in this article.
Emperor penguin
The largest and heaviest bird: the weight of a male can reach 40 kg, and the body length is about 130 cm. The plumage on the back is black, the belly is white, and on the neck you can see characteristic spots of bright yellow or orange. Emperor penguins are native to Antarctica.
King Penguin
Outwardly, it is very similar to the imperial one, but is somewhat inferior in size: its body length is about 100 cm, and its weight does not exceed 18 kg. In addition, this species has a different color - the back is covered with dark gray, sometimes almost black feathers, the belly is white, and there are bright orange spots on the sides of the head and on the chest. These birds live in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Lusitania, on the islands Tierra del Fuego, Southern and Sandwich, Kerguelen and Crozet, Macquarie and South Georgia, Prince Edward and Heard.
Adelie Penguin
Medium sized bird. Its length does not exceed 75 cm, and its weight is 6 kg. Adele's back is black, her belly is white. A distinctive feature of this species is the white ring around the eyes. These birds live in Antarctica, as well as on the adjacent islands: Orkney and South Shetland.
Northern crested penguin
A species that is currently endangered. This is a small bird, about 55 cm long and weighing 3 kg. The back and wings are gray-black. The abdomen is white. Yellow eyebrows extend into tufts of bright yellow feathers located to the side of the eyes. On the penguin's head there is a black crest, which gives the species its name.
The main part of the population inhabits the islands of Inaccessible and Gough, Tristan da Cunha, which are located in the Atlantic Ocean.
Golden haired penguin
The body length of this penguin varies within 76 cm, weight - just over 5 kg. The color is typical of all penguins, but with one peculiarity: above the eyes there are unusual tufts of golden feathers. Golden-haired penguins have settled on the southern shores of the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, and are slightly less common in the north of Antarctica, as well as on the islands of the Sub-Antarctic.
External features
On land, this unusual bird, which cannot fly, looks somewhat awkward due to the structural features of its limbs and body. Penguins have a streamlined body shape with well-developed muscles of the pectoral keel - often it makes up a quarter of the total mass of the bird.
The penguin's body is plump, slightly laterally compressed, covered with feathers. The head is not too large, it is located on a flexible and movable, but short neck. The beak of these birds is strong and sharp.
Interesting facts about penguins are related to their structure. In the course of evolution and lifestyle, the penguin's wings changed and turned into flippers: under water they are shoulder joint rotate like a screw. The legs are thick and short, with four toes that are connected by swimming membranes.
Unlike most birds, the penguin's legs are noticeably shifted back, which forces the bird to hold its body strictly vertical when on land. A short tail, which consists of twenty hard feathers, helps the penguin maintain balance: the bird leans on it if necessary.
Another interesting fact about penguins is that their skeletons are not hollow. tubular bones, which is usually characteristic of birds. Their bones are more similar in structure to those of marine mammals. For thermal insulation, penguins have a substantial reserve of fat, its layer reaches three centimeters.
The plumage of penguins is thick and dense: short, small feathers cover the bird's body like tiles, protecting it from getting wet in cold water.
Lifestyle
Penguins are underwater in search of food for quite a long time, diving three meters deep and covering distances of about thirty kilometers. It's amazing how fast penguins swim - it can reach 10 km per hour. Representatives of some species can dive to depths of up to 130 meters. When penguins do not enter the mating season and do not care for their offspring, they move quite a distance from the shore long distances(up to 1000 km).
To speed up movement on land, the penguin lies on its belly and quickly slides across the snow or ice, pushing off with its limbs. This method of movement allows birds to reach speeds of up to 6 km/h. Under natural conditions, a penguin lives about twenty-five years. In captivity, with proper care, this figure increases to thirty.
What do penguins eat?
During one hunt, a penguin makes from 190 to 900 dives. The exact number depends on climatic conditions, the type of penguin, and food requirements. Interestingly, the bird’s mouthparts are designed like a pump: it sucks in small prey through its beak. During feeding, on average, birds swim about thirty kilometers and spend almost eighty minutes a day at a depth of more than three meters.
The basis of the penguins' diet is fish. But what do penguins eat (besides fish)? The bird happily eats squid, small octopuses and small shellfish. The cubs feed on semi-digested food, which their parents regurgitate from the stomach.
How do penguins sleep?
The answer to this question is of interest to many of our readers. Penguins sleep standing up, maintaining their body temperature during sleep. Interesting facts about penguins are also associated with this condition of birds. The time they spend sleeping directly depends on the air temperature - the lower the temperature, the shorter the sleep. Birds sleep longer during molting: during this period they eat little, and additional sleep allows them to reduce energy expenditure. In addition, penguins sleep while hatching eggs.
It turns out that not all penguins are cute and harmless creatures. For example, rock penguins are endowed with a rather aggressive disposition. They can attack any object they don't like.
Penguins don't need it fresh water- they drink sea water because they have special glands that filter out the salt.
During the mating season, expressing his tender feelings, the male spectacled penguin strokes his chosen one on the head with his wing.
Penguins' feet do not get cold because they have a minimal number of nerve endings.
Are penguins birds or animals? A familiar question, isn't it? And this is understandable. Each of us either asked this question in childhood or heard it from our children. It must be admitted that not everyone knows the answer. So who are they, these amazing and important handsome penguins? Are these birds? Or animals? Or maybe it's fish?
A little history
Europeans first noticed these amazing creatures in 1499. One of the companions of the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama left a note describing strange birds, somewhat similar to geese, “with a cry reminiscent of the cries of donkeys... They could not fly ...” They were probably also tormented by the question: “Are penguins birds or animals?”
12 years later, a similar recording was made by a member of Magellan’s expedition, Italian Antonio Pigafetta. He wrote: “Strange geese, standing upright, unable to fly, very fat...” Actually, thanks to their fatness, the birds received their first name. The fact is that “pygvis” means “fat” in Latin. Scientific name“Spheniscus demersus” (translated as “a small wedge immersed in water”) was given to birds much later - in 1758. The new name became brief description, emphasizing both the shape of the birds and their way of life. 
If we talk about the very first acquaintance of penguins with people, it probably took place in Australia. It turns out that bones of these birds were found during archaeological excavations at ancient sites. Scientists suggest that penguin meat was part of the diet of Australian Aborigines.
Short description
And yet... Are penguins birds or animals? Any encyclopedia gives a clear answer to this question. Spheniscidae- a family of marine flightless, but good swimming and diving birds. 
The only representatives of the order Penguinidae. The family has 20 subspecies. The body of penguins is streamlined, adapted for movement in water. Thanks to their muscles and the structure of their bones, these birds are excellent swimmers, while their wings play the role of propellers that increase speed. The sternum has well-developed muscles, accounting for about a quarter of the total weight, and a well-defined keel. The femurs are quite short knee joints motionless, paws shifted back (the reason for such a strange and funny gait). The feet are large, short, with webbed feet. The tail is very shortened and serves as a support on land. The “steering wheel” when swimming is primarily the paws. Penguins have a characteristic color: a black tailcoat and a white belly.
Why can't a penguin be called a fish?
This is another frequently asked question: “Is a penguin a bird or a fish?” For some, the question will seem funny, but since it exists, let's try to figure it out. Indeed, if a penguin feels great underwater, why can’t it be called a fish? Firstly, because in this environment he only hunts. But the penguin lives on land. There it hatches eggs (it does not spawn like fish) and raises its offspring. Another important difference is the presence of feathers (very small, tight-fitting, evenly distributed over a thick layer of fat). In addition, penguins are warm-blooded. True, they have their own heat transfer system, special and in some sense unique. Its “motor” is located in its wings and paws. Arterial blood entering them gives off heat to venous (colder) blood, and that, in turn, flows to the body (back). Heat loss is thus minimal. 
Nutrition
The basis of the penguins' menu is Antarctic silverfish, anchovies, sardines and crustaceans. They eat some of it right under water, the rest on land. Species that feed primarily on crustaceans have to expend much more energy on prey. To replenish energy costs, they must catch about two dozen crustaceans in just one dive. Penguins, who feed mainly on fish, have it much easier - one successful dive out of ten is enough for them. The duration of the hunt varies for each species and largely depends on the season. For example, emperor penguins can make more than 800 dives. But during the period of molting and expecting offspring, birds have to give up food altogether. During this time, about half of the mass is lost. Penguins drink mainly sea water. Special glands located near the eyes remove excess salt.
Reproduction
Why can't the statement that a penguin is an animal be true? Evidence that this is a bird has already been given earlier. For further reasons, let's look at the process of reproduction. Let's start with the fact that penguins are not viviparous; they hatch eggs like all birds. They nest in colonies, tens of thousands of pairs. Both parents, who periodically replace each other, are responsible for incubating the eggs and feeding the babies.
The assertion that the penguin is a mammal is refuted by the method of feeding. The chicks do not feed on milk, but on semi-digested fish and crustaceans, which are regurgitated by their parents. Babies “dive” into the lower folds of the abdomen in order to shelter from the cold, and not for the sake of a portion of milk, as some believe.
The onset of sexual maturity depends on the sex and species of birds. For some, mating is possible at two years (small, sub-Antarctic), for others - a year later (Antarctic, imperial, royal), for others - only after five years (golden-haired).
There are quite a lot of flightless birds (birds that have lost the ability to fly), about 40 species. Rhea, Cassowaries, Kiwi, Emu, Kakapo parrot, Takahe sultana, Ueka shepherdess...
Flightless birds Penguins differ from all other flightless birds in that they are aquatic birds (more precisely, sea birds) and can swim.
Moreover, these are the most waterfowl birds - they spend 75% of their lives in water.
While other birds have wings for flight, penguins have adapted their wings into fins.
Penguins are found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Large penguins usually live in colder regions.
- Little penguins are found in temperate and tropical climates.
Most penguins are found in South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Antarctica, Argentina and Australia.
Scientists agree that there are 17 species of penguins. Of the 17 species, 13 are endangered.
As a rule, penguins are not characterized by sexual dimorphism, that is, male and female penguins look alike.
- Emperor penguins are the tallest, 1.1 – 1.3 m.
- The tiniest are the Little Blue Penguins, small blue penguins with blue plumage. Their height is only 33-43 cm.
Penguins are very playful. They often lie on their tummies and slide on ice and snow. The so-called sledding method. Researchers believe that penguins do this for their own pleasure, and not for movement.
They have a great tuxedo. This appearance- a form of camouflage.
Penguins have no teeth. They have a beak, spines on the beak cap, and even have spines on their tongues.
Penguins swallow a lot of sea water while hunting fish. Penguins can drink salt water, because they have a special gland, the supraorbital, that filters salt from the bloodstream.
Penguins swallow pebbles and stones. There are two explanations for why they do this:
- stones help grind and digest food
- stones are added excess weight to help penguins dive deeper
Penguins spend several hours a day preening their feathers. If a penguin does not keep its feathers in good condition, they will lose their waterproof properties.
Penguins are subject to molting. They lose their feathers once a year. They always moult on land. And while their new waterproof coat is growing, they are unable to enter the water. The molt can take several weeks, during which time penguins lose about half their body weight.
Each penguin has an individual, distinct call, which makes it possible to recognize individual penguins by their voice. This is how they find their chicks and mates when they live in large groups.
Most penguin species breed during the spring and summer. Egg incubation varies from 1 month to 67 days, depending on the species. The Emperor Penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the Antarctic winter.
Penguins lay two eggs. Only Emperor and King penguins, the two largest species, do not build nests and lay only one egg. They warm their egg between their legs by covering it with a flap of skin called a “down sac.”
Both males and females incubate the eggs. Parent penguins care for their babies (feed them) for several months.
If a female penguin dies, the chick is often "kidnapped" by related birds, but rather than accepting it as their own, the stolen chick is soon abandoned.
- Penguins cannot breathe underwater, but can stay underwater for up to 10-15 minutes.
- Penguins' eyes see better underwater than on the surface. Penguins are extremely shortsighted on land.
- Despite the lack of visible ears, penguins have excellent hearing.
In the past, people ate penguin eggs. They also killed adult penguins for their feathers, skin and fat. People also used penguin droppings (guano) to fertilize the soil when growing crops.
This may not seem harmless, but it was the latter that influenced the significant reduction in the number of penguins.
Penguins use guano to make their nests. Without guano, they are forced to lay their eggs on bare ground, making them more defenseless.
At sea, penguins are threatened by leopard seals, sea lions, killer whales, skuas, snakes, sharks, and fox seals.
On land, penguins' predators include scribes, wolves and polar bears. The plump, flightless bird is easy prey for them.
Perhaps this is the answer to the question why penguins are not found at the North Pole... Because all of the listed “land” and “sea” predators primarily live in the Northern Hemisphere, but are not found in the Southern.
On land, penguins rarely encounter predators. This explains why wild penguins do not show much fear when a human tourist appears.
Prehistoric penguins were very large, with the height and weight of a human.
The etymology of the word "Penguin" is debated. Some scholars claim that the word comes from the Welsh feather Gwyn - "White head". Other researchers believe that it is the Latin pinguis, meaning "Fat".
Interesting fact: About 1 in 50,000 penguins are born with brown plumage rather than black. They are called isabelline penguins. They live shorter lives than other penguins because they are less camouflaged and they rarely mate.
Compared to the weight proportions of the parents, penguin eggs are smaller than those of any other bird species. Additionally, the eggshell of a penguin egg makes up 10-16% of the penguin's weight.
Penguins have more feathers than any other bird species (counted per square centimeter).
And further. Penguins don't jump, they bounce!
The rarest penguin species in the world is the Magnificent penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).
There are only 5,000 of them left - they live along the southeast coast of New Zealand. And this is the only yellow-eyed penguin.
And the most numerous of all penguins in the world is the golden-haired penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) - also known as Macaroni in English. Macaroni penguins or penguin collared pheasants - there are more than 11 million pairs of them.
The fastest of the Gentoo Penguin siblings, it can swim at a speed of 22 mph (36 km/h).
The Gentoo penguin or long-tailed gentoo penguin (Pygosselis gentoo) is an chinstrap penguin found in the Falkland Islands.
The technique they use in swimming is the same as that of dolphins or porpoises - in humans this technique is called "breaststroke".
Penguins feed on fish, squid, krill and other crustaceans.
Despite the diversity of penguin species, they all have a similar structure and habits. They are excellent swimmers, endowed with a streamlined body for moving underwater. Because of this, there is even an opinion that the ancestors of these indigenous inhabitants of Antarctica are fish. And most of them spend only half their lives on land, the other half in the ocean. However, a number of characteristics leave no doubt that penguins belong to the class of birds. Let's talk in more detail about these characteristics, as well as about the characteristics of the subspecies.
The penguin family (lat. sphenisсidae) belongs to the order of penguin-like animals and is mostly concentrated in the Antarctic region, as well as on nearby island territories. However, the diversity of species here is small: Antarctica is inhabited by the emperor, gentoo (subantarctic), chinstrap and, the most numerous, the Adélie penguin. Some species live closer to the north and even near the equator, but they settle only in places of cold currents.
Other known species of penguins:
- small or blue;
- royal;
- magnificent (yellow-eyed);
- golden-haired;
- Galapagos;
- Magellanic penguin;
- northern crested.
The remains of their ancestors were found in Peru and New Zealand. There is a possibility that ancient penguins could fly. What do the found bones of their wings say? They are flatter and wider than those of modern representatives, whose wings in the process of evolution began to resemble flippers and are not adapted for flight.
Is a penguin a bird or a mammal?
The penguin's body is covered with special plumage that resembles wool. The small feathers end in a hard, shaft-like tip and densely cover the skin like scales. Together with fatty lubricant from special glands, this provides the body with excellent waterproofness and thermal insulation.
In addition, penguins have a unique blood supply system: in their flippers and legs arterial blood gives off heat to the venous system, which returns it back to the body. It helps even in difficult times climatic conditions maintain the temperature at 38 degrees.
The tail consists of longer and stiffer feathers, providing reliable support. The beak is strong, long and sharp. All this, and the fact that penguins lay eggs like all birds, leaves no doubt that they belong neither to fish nor to mammals.
How are they different from other birds?
Unlike other waterfowl, penguins do not control their legs underwater and keep them straight. The main work is done by the wings, which move in the shoulder joint like a screw. The legs are short, webbed, mostly hidden in the skin of the body. They are noticeably shifted back, compared to the paws of other birds, which is why penguins walk strictly vertically, maintaining balance.
The bones of the skeleton do not contain cavities and are more similar in density to the bones of mammals. The muscles of the wings and pectoral keel are much better developed than those of other birds. Most species have a black or dark gray back and a white belly. Penguins are similar in body shape and color to auks. There is a version according to which their ancestors are relatives of the great auk, which completely died out in the 19th century.
Other features of penguins
On land they move rather clumsily, swaying from foot to foot. This method helps save energy. If necessary, lie on your stomach and, pushing off, quickly slide along the surface, accelerating to a speed of 6 km/h. While swimming, in order to overcome the resistance of strong currents, they sometimes jump out of the water like dolphins.
A subcutaneous fat reserve of 2-3 cm allows the penguin to withstand cold and periods of hunger strike. As, for example, during the molting period, when, due to the violation of the waterproof cover, birds are forced to remain on land, unable to obtain food for themselves. During this time they lose a significant amount of weight.
Penguins live on average 15-20 years.
Who is hunted and feared?
Now let's talk about what penguins eat. The diet includes those who inhabit ocean waters:
- various types of fish;
- shellfish;
- squid;
- octopuses;
- crustaceans.
Birds eat the smallest of them directly in the water, sucking them with their beaks. They drink salty ocean water, even if they have fresh springs. Excess salt is excreted through the supraocular glands.
The penguins themselves become food for larger predators: sharks, killer whales, leopard seals, fur seals and sea lions. Seagulls also cause a lot of trouble, destroying nests and attacking small chicks.
Due to the fact that most of the enemies are in the water, waiting for their victims in shallow water, before diving, penguins often hesitate to enter the ocean for a long time, shifting in groups in groups. After the bravest one dives, the rest follow his example. This phenomenon is called the “penguin effect.”
Time for nesting
Different penguin species nest in different months. For example, the emperor penguin lays eggs in the fall, and the chicks that grow in winter learn to survive and adapt to harsh conditions. Species inhabiting warmer, northern regions can hatch eggs year-round. In favorable conditions, the little penguin manages to lay two clutches per season, and the inhabitants of the Antarctic and subantarctic regions breed in the spring.
In representatives of subantarctic and small species puberty occurs at two years, for imperial and royal ones - at three, for golden-haired ones - after five. During the mating season, penguins gather in colonies of thousands on isolated islands.
Pairing
Males and females attract each other with peculiar sounds, similar to the sounds of a rattle or trumpet. The resulting couple performs a ritual dance, followed by mating. Depending on the living conditions, mating occurs either in the cramped conditions of a large colony, or in secluded places hidden by vegetation.
The clutch usually contains one or two white or grayish eggs. To hatch, birds build nests from stones or adapt voids in frozen mud and rocks for this purpose. The imperial species does not build nests, brooding the egg in a special brood pocket - a fold of skin between the legs. In some species, parents take turns incubating the nest, maintaining warmth and protecting the baby from their fellow tribesmen: penguins have developed the habit of stealing other people's eggs.
From family to kindergarten
The cubs are born densely pubescent, brown or gray. They grow quickly due to abundant food and often look fatter than their parents.
Some species of penguins form “nurseries” - groups of growing young, which are looked after by adults, who, as a rule, are left without offspring. Parents bring food there, distinguishing their children by the sound of their voices. Deprived of care and forced to get food on their own, chicks usually lose up to half their weight. Until the first moult, until the fluff is replaced by a waterproof cover, they do not dive into the water, remaining on land.
Not every nesting ends in success - the egg is under the threat of attack by predators, and in young couples the chicks do not hatch at all.
Features of some types
The largest and heaviest representative is the emperor penguin. Its body weight reaches 45 kg, and its size is 1.3 m in length. Individuals of this species are able to stay under water for about 18 minutes, while others make dives lasting, on average, 2 minutes.
The smallest is the small or blue penguin, its height does not exceed 35 cm, and an adult weighs 1.5 kg. During the period of hatching chicks, chinstrap penguins make over 150 dives, and emperor penguins do this about 900 times. Species that feed on plankton require regular, abundant nutrition, while those that feed on fish can easily survive 9 unsuccessful hunting attempts out of ten.
Endangered Species
The king penguin, the second largest after the emperor penguin, was in danger of extinction due to extermination by sailors. But thanks to conservation measures, the population has been completely restored. This species inhabits the islands of South Georgia, Crozet, Macquarie, and Kerguelen. The color of the back is dark gray, there are bright orange spots on the sides of the head, on the beak and in the throat area. The following are species whose numbers continue to decline.
The Galapagos penguin is unusual in that it lives near the equator. The length of its body varies within 50 cm, weight reaches only 2.5 kg. The chest and belly are white with black spots. Due to the El Niño phenomenon (temperature changes in the surface water layer of the equatorial part Pacific Ocean, affecting the climate), as well as due to human invasion, the number has sharply decreased.
Magellan is painted in the “traditional” black and white color, with a white stripe crossing the neck, curving above the eyes to the beak, like all spectacled penguins. Body length 70-80 cm, weight about 5 kg. It feeds exclusively on fish. Settles on the shores of Patagonia and South America, Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.
The subantarctic or Papuan is the third largest after the royal, maximum height 90 cm, body weight 7.5-9 kg. The color is black and white, with a characteristic bright red beak. Underwater it breaks records, accelerating up to 36 km/h. Inhabits subantarctic islands.
The magnificent or yellow-eyed is distinguished by a golden-yellow head color with a bordering stripe, and the same iris of the eyes. The beak and paws are pink. Body length is about 70-75 cm, weight 6-7 kg. It lives on the Pacific islands with a temperate climate.
The Northern Crested is distinguished by bright red eyes and yellow stripes of eyebrows that widen into tufts that stick out on either side. Body black and white. Length 55 cm, weight – 3 kg. Called a "climber" for his love of jumping from cliffs. It lives on the islands of the South Atlantic Ocean.
Relationships with a person
Modern man practically does not eat penguin meat. Mainly because of the specific smell. But in some regions, their valuable fat and eggs are hunted, which causes significant damage to the number of species.
Employees of polar stations who have been in contact with penguins note that they are not afraid of people and behave as if they mistake them for their relatives. Due to the nature of their bodies, penguins cannot get up on their own if they fall. Therefore, there are people working at the stations whose duty is to help the birds rise.
Penguins have quite high intelligence, which manifests itself in unusual habits. For example, wanting to distract a predator, they can push a fellow tribesman into the water, sacrificing him.
These birds are one of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet, presumably contemporaries of dinosaurs.
The penguin is the only bird that walks standing.
Emperor penguins gather to stay warm tighter friend to each other, periodically mixing from the edge to the center so that everyone gets the heat.
In order to dive to a depth of about 500 m, the king penguin swallows small stones.
