Types of penguins. Penguins: interesting facts Why penguins are interesting

A penguin is a flightless bird that belongs to the order Penguinidae, family Penguinidae (Spheniscidae).

The origin of the word “penguin” has 3 versions. The first involves a combination of the Welsh words pen (head) and gwyn (white), which originally referred to the now extinct great auk. Due to the similarity of the penguin with this bird, the definition was transferred to it. According to the second option, the name of the penguin was given by English word pinwing, translated meaning “hairpin wing”. The third version is the Latin adjective pinguis, meaning “fat.”

Penguin - description, characteristics, structure

All penguins can swim and dive excellently, but they cannot fly at all. On land, the bird looks rather clumsy due to the structural features of the body and limbs. The penguin has a streamlined body shape with highly developed muscles of the pectoral keel, which often makes up a quarter of the total mass. The penguin's body is quite plump, slightly compressed laterally and covered with feathers. The not too large head is located on a mobile, flexible and rather short neck. The penguin's beak is strong and very sharp.

As a result of evolution and lifestyle, the penguin's wings have changed into elastic flippers: when swimming underwater, they rotate in the shoulder joint like a screw. The legs are short and thick, have 4 toes, connected by swimming membranes.

Unlike other birds, the penguin's legs are significantly moved back, which forces the bird to keep its body strictly vertical while on land.

To maintain balance, the penguin is helped by a short tail, consisting of 16-20 hard feathers: if necessary, the bird simply leans on it, as if on a stand.

The penguin's skeleton does not consist of hollow tubular bones, which is usual for other birds: the structure of the penguin's bones is more reminiscent of the bones of marine mammals. For optimal thermal insulation, the penguin has an impressive reserve of fat with a layer of 2-3 centimeters.

The plumage of penguins is dense and dense: individual small and short feathers cover the body of the bird like a tile, protecting it from getting wet in cold water. The color of the feathers in all species is almost identical - a dark (usually black) back and a white belly.

Once a year, a penguin molts: new feathers grow at different rates, pushing out the old feather, so the bird often has an unkempt, ragged appearance during the molting period.

During molting, penguins are only on land, try to hide from gusts of wind and eat absolutely nothing.

The sizes of penguins differ depending on the species: for example, the emperor penguin reaches 117-130 cm in length and weighs from 35 to 40 kg, and the little penguin has a body length of only 30-40 cm, while the penguin weighs 1 kg.

In search of food, penguins are able to spend quite a lot of time under water, plunging into its thickness to 3 meters and covering distances of 25-27 km. The speed of a penguin in water can reach 7-10 km per hour. Some species dive to depths reaching 120-130 meters.

During the period when penguins are not bothered mating games and caring for their offspring, they move quite far from the coast, swimming out to sea at a distance of up to 1000 km.

On land, when it is necessary to move quickly, the penguin lies on its belly and, pushing off with its limbs, quickly slides along the ice or snow.

With this method of movement, penguins reach speeds of 3 to 6 km/h.

The lifespan of a penguin in nature is 15-25 years or more. In captivity, with ideal bird maintenance, this figure sometimes increases to 30 years.

Enemies of penguins in nature

Unfortunately, the penguin has enemies in his natural place a habitat. Seagulls happily peck at penguin eggs, and helpless chicks are a tasty prey for skuas. Fur seals, killer whales, leopard seals and sea ​​lions hunting penguins in the sea. Sharks will not refuse to diversify their menu with a plump penguin.

What do penguins eat?

Penguins eat fish, crustaceans, plankton and small cephalopods. The bird happily eats krill, anchovies, sardines, Antarctic silverfish, small octopuses and squid. During one hunt, a penguin can make from 190 to 800-900 dives: this depends on the type of penguin, climatic conditions and feed requirements. Oral apparatus The bird works on the principle of a pump: through its beak it sucks in small prey along with water. On average, birds swim about 27 kilometers during feeding and spend about 80 minutes a day at a depth of more than 3 meters.

The geographical distribution of these birds is quite extensive, but they prefer cool conditions. Penguins live in cold zones of the Southern Hemisphere; their concentrations are mainly observed in Antarctica and the Subantarctic region. They also live in southern Australia and South Africa, found almost along the entire coastline South America– from the Falkland Islands to the territory of Peru, near the equator they live on Galapagos Islands.

Classification of the Penguin family (Spheniscidae)

The order Sphenisciformes includes the only modern family - Penguins, or Penguins (Spheniscidae), in which 6 genera and 18 species are distinguished (according to the datazone.birdlife.org database from November 2018).

Genus Aptenodytes J. F. Miller, 1778 - Emperor penguins

• Aptenodytes forsteri R. Gray, 1844 - Emperor penguin
• Aptenodytes patagonicus F. Miller, 1778 - King penguin

Genus Eudyptes Vieillot, 1816 - Crested penguins

• Eudyptes chrysocome(J.R. Forster, 1781) - Crested penguin, golden-crested rock penguin
• Eudyptes chrysolophus(J. F. von Brandt, 1837) - Golden-haired penguin
• Eudyptes moseleyi Mathews & Iredale, 1921 – Northern crested penguin
• Eudyptes pachyrhynchus R. Gray, 1845 - Thick-billed or Victoria penguin
• Eudyptes robustus Oliver, 1953 - Snare crested penguin
• Eudyptes schlegeli Finsch, 1876 - Schlegel's Penguin
• Eudyptes sclateri Buller, 1888 - Great crested penguin

Genus Eudyptula Bonaparte, 1856 - Lesser penguins

• Eudyptula minor(J.R. Forster, 1781) - Little Penguin

Genus Megadyptes Milne-Edwards, 1880 - Magnificent Penguins

• Megadyptes antipodes(Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) - Yellow-eyed penguin, or magnificent penguin

Genus Pygoscelis Wagler, 1832 - Chinstrap penguins

• Pygoscelis adeliae(Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) - Adelie Penguin
• Pygoscelis antarcticus(J.R. Forster, 1781) - Chinstrap penguin
• Pygoscelis papua(J.R. Forster 1781) - Gentoo (subantarctic) penguin

Genus Spheniscus Brisson, 1760 - Spectacled penguins

• Spheniscus demersus(Linnaeus, 1758) - Spectacled penguin
• Spheniscus humboldti Meyen, 1834 - Humboldt penguin
• Spheniscus magellanicus(J.R. Forster, 1781) - Magellanic penguin
• Spheniscus mendiculus Sundevall, 1871 - Galapagos penguin

Types of penguins, photos and names

The modern classification of penguins includes 6 genera and 19 species. Below are descriptions of several varieties:

• Emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri)

This is the largest and heaviest penguin: the weight of the male reaches 40 kg with a body length of 117-130 cm, females are somewhat smaller - with a height of 113-115 cm they weigh on average 32 kg. The plumage on the back of the birds is black, the belly is white, and in the neck area there are characteristic spots of orange or bright yellow. Emperor penguins live on the coast of Antarctica.

• King Penguin ( Aptenodytes patagonicus)

very similar to the emperor penguin, but differs from it in its more modest size and feather color. Dimensions king penguin vary from 90 to 100 cm. The weight of the penguin is 9.3-18 kg. In adult individuals, the back is dark gray, sometimes almost black, the abdomen is white, and there are bright orange spots on the sides of the dark head and in the chest area. The habitat of this bird is the South Sandwich Islands, islands Tierra del Fuego, Crozet, Kerguelen, South Georgia, Macquarie, Heard, Prince Edward, coastal waters of Lusitania Bay.

• Adelie Penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae)

medium sized bird. The penguin is 65-75 cm long and weighs about 6 kg. The back is black, the belly is white, distinguishing feature- ring white around eyes. Adélie penguins live in Antarctica and the adjacent island territories: Orkney and South Shetland Islands.

• Northern crested penguin ( Eudyptes moseleyi)

endangered species. The length of the bird is approximately 55 cm, average weight about 3 kg. The eyes are red, the belly is white, the wings and back are gray-black. Yellow eyebrows blend smoothly into tufts of yellow feathers located to the side of the eyes. Black feathers stick out on the penguin's head. From the south crested penguin(lat. Eudyptes chrysocome) this species is distinguished by shorter feathers and narrower eyebrows. The bulk of the population lives on the islands of Gough, Impregnable and Tristan da Cunha, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

• Golden-haired penguin (golden-haired penguin) ( Eudyptes chrysolophus)

has the typical coloring of all penguins, but differs in one feature in appearance: this penguin has a spectacular tuft of golden feathers above its eyes. Body length varies between 64-76 cm, Weight Limit– a little more than 5 kg. Golden-haired penguins live along the southern shores of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic, are slightly less common in the northern part of Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego, and nest on other islands of the Sub-Antarctic.

• Gentoo penguin ( Pygoscelis papua)

the largest penguin in size after the emperor and king. The length of the bird reaches 70-90 cm, the weight of the penguin is from 7.5 to 9 kg. The black back and white belly are the typical color of birds of this species; the beak and paws are colored orange-red tint. The penguins' habitat is limited to Antarctica and the islands of the Subantarctic zone (Prince Edward Island, South Sandwich and Falkland Islands, Heard Island, Kerguelen, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands).

• Magellanic penguin ( Spheniscus magellanicus)

has a body length of 70-80 cm and a weight of about 5-6 kg. The color of the plumage is typical for all penguin species, the peculiarity is 1 or 2 black stripes in the neck area. Magellanic penguins nest on the Patagonian coast, on the Juan Fernandez and Falkland Islands, and small groups live in southern Peru and Rio de Janeiro.

• Pygoscelis antarctica)

reaches a height of 60-70 cm and weighs no more than 4.5 kg. The back and head are dark gray, the penguin's belly is white. A black stripe runs down the head. Chinstrap penguins live on the coast of Antarctica and the islands adjacent to the continent. They are also found on icebergs in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

• spectacled penguin, aka donkey penguin, black-footed penguin or African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus)

reaches a length of 65-70 centimeters and weighs from 3 to 5 kg. Distinctive feature the bird is a narrow strip of black color, bending in the shape of a horseshoe and running along the belly - from the chest to the paws. The spectacled penguin lives on the coast of Namibia and South Africa, nesting along the coastline of islands with the cold Bengal Current.

• Little Penguin ( Eudyptula minor)

the smallest penguin in the world: the bird is 30-40 cm tall and weighs about 1 kg. The back of the little penguin is colored blue-black or dark gray, the chest area and top part paws are white or light gray. Penguins live on the coast of South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and the adjacent islands of Stuart and Chatham.

Penguin breeding

Penguins are communal birds. In the water element they live in flocks; on land they form colonies, the number of individuals in which reaches several tens and even hundreds of thousands. All members of the penguin family are monogamous and form permanent pairs.

The readiness to mate and hatch offspring in penguins depends on the species and gender. Typically, males mature later than females, some species are ready to have penguins at the age of 2 years, other species of penguins begin to think about offspring a year later, and still others become parents only at the age of five (for example, golden-haired penguins).

During mating season males make rather loud sounds, reminiscent of the sound of a trumpet, trying to attract the attention of females.

Penguins most often nest on low rocky shores, while some species make primitive nests from pebbles and sparse vegetation, while others prefer cavities in the rocks.

Usually 2 eggs appear in a clutch, sometimes one, very rarely - three. The penguin egg is white or slightly greenish in color. Both parents incubate the eggs, replacing each other during absences to forage for food. Incubation period lasts from 30 to 100 days depending on the type of bird.

Penguin chicks hatch blind, with thick down on their bodies, and only gain sight after a couple of weeks. The weight of a newborn penguin varies depending on the species and can reach 300 grams. Despite the care of their parents, more than 60% of the chicks die from hunger, low temperatures and attacks by skuas.

For approximately 20 days, penguin chicks are under constant care, but after three weeks of care, the parents leave their babies, only occasionally bringing them food. This factor leads to the fact that slightly older penguin chicks begin to unite in groups, which scientists call “kindergartens” or “nurseries”.

Often the period of formation of such “nurseries” occurs at a time when immature penguins or birds, which for some reason have lost their clutches, return to the colony from sea voyages. These individuals are actively involved in caring for the young, participate in their feeding and protect them from predatory skuas, thereby increasing the survival rate of the still defenseless chicks.

Until the first molt, penguin chicks are exclusively on land, plunging into water for the first time only with the appearance of thick, almost waterproof plumage.

Do they eat penguins?

It is difficult to give a definite answer to such a question. Today a person is unlikely to decide on such a delicacy, although in extreme conditions everything can happen. According to some reports, some peoples inhabiting the Antarctic territory include dishes made from penguin meat in their menu.

Confirmed evidence of the consumption of penguin meat is information in the book “Antarctic Odyssey” by author R. Priestley. It describes in detail the hunting of penguins by members of the expedition in order not to die of hunger due to lack of food. True, this happened quite a long time ago, at the beginning of the twentieth century, and was caused by unforeseen circumstances, when the duration of the expedition unexpectedly increased. According to its participants, penguin breast was valued for its nutritional value due to its fat content and had a good taste.

• Among the penguins there are record swimmers: gentoo penguins reach speeds in the water of up to 32-36 km/h.
• The Magellanic penguin got its name thanks to the famous traveler who discovered an unusual flightless bird in 1520 near the island of Tierra del Fuego.
• On land, the penguin is very clumsy and quite often, throwing its head back sharply, loses its balance and falls on its back. The bird can no longer rise from such a position on its own, so at many polar stations an amazing profession has appeared - penguin lifter, or penguin turner. This person helps the penguins turn over and take the bird’s usual upright position.

Who doesn't love chubby, tuxedo-clad penguins waddling through rocks and ice and bellies flopping into the sea? Almost everyone can recognize a penguin, but how much do you really know about these seabirds Oh? Get started with these 7 fun and interesting facts about penguins.

1. Penguins, like other birds, have feathers

Penguins may look very different from their other feathered relatives, but they are, indeed, birds. Since they spend most of their lives in water, their feathers point downwards and are waterproof. Penguins have a specialized coccygeal gland that enables the sustainable production of waterproofing oil. The penguin uses its beak to regularly deliver lubricant to its feathers. Oiled feathers help keep their bodies warm in cold waters and also reduce water resistance when swimming.

Like other birds, penguins molt, shedding their old feathers. But instead of shedding their feathers gradually over the course of a year, penguins moult all at once. This is known as catastrophic molting. Once a year, penguins actively feed on seafood to accumulate fat and prepare for the annual change of feathers. Then, over the course of a few weeks, they shed all their plumage and grow new ones. Because feathers are so important for survival in icy waters, penguins stay on dry land during this time.

2. Penguins, like other birds, have wings

Although penguins technically have wings like other birds, they are not like the wings of other birds. Penguin wings are not designed for flight. In fact, they cannot fly at all. Penguin wings are flattened and tapered, and look and function more like dolphin fins than bird wings.

Evolutionary biologists believe that penguins could fly in the past, but over millions of years their flying skills faded. Penguins became efficient divers and torpedo-like swimmers, with wings designed to propel their bodies through water instead of air. A study published in 2013 determined that this evolution is based on energy efficiency. Birds that swim and fly, like the thick-billed guillemot, expend enormous amounts of energy in the air. Because their wings are modified for swimming, they are less aerodynamic and require more energy to fly. Penguins made an evolutionary bet that it was better to be good swimmers than to try to fly and swim. Thus, their wings became more like fins over time.

3. Penguins are experienced and fast swimmers

After prehistoric penguins committed to living in the water rather than in the air, they proved themselves to be world champion swimmers. Most penguin species swim at speeds of 7-11 km per hour, but the gentoo penguin ( Pygoscelis papua) can reach an incredible 36 km per hour. Penguins are capable of diving tens of meters deep and remaining underwater for 20 minutes.

Birds have hollow bones, so they are lighter in the air, but penguins' bones are thicker and heavier. Just as divers use ballast to control their buoyancy, the penguin relies on stronger bones to resist floating. When they need to quickly escape from the water, penguins release air bubbles in their feathers, thereby reducing drag and increasing speed. Their bodies are streamlined and are great for moving quickly in the water.

4. Penguins eat various types of seafood, but cannot chew them.

Most penguins eat what they catch while swimming and diving. They will eat any sea creature they can catch and swallow: fish, crabs, shrimp, squid, octopus or krill. Like other birds, penguins do not have teeth and do not chew their food. Instead, they have fleshy, backward-pointing spines in their mouths that help push prey down their throats. An average-sized penguin eats about 1 kg of seafood per day during the summer months.

Krill are small marine species that are a particularly important part of the diet for young penguin chicks. One long-term study of penguin diets found that reproductive success was directly related to how much krill they ate. Penguins feed on krill in the sea and then return to their chicks on land to regurgitate food into their beaks.

5. Penguins are monogamous

Almost all penguin species practice monogamy, meaning the male and female remain faithful to each other during the breeding season. Some even remain partners for life. Penguins reach sexual maturity between three and eight years of age. Males usually find good nesting sites before searching for a female.

Both penguin parents care for and feed their chicks. Most species produce two eggs at a time, but emperor penguins ( Aptenodytes forsteri) - the largest of all penguins, only one bird is raised per breeding season. The male emperor penguin takes sole responsibility for preserving the egg, holding it between his legs and under folds of fat, while the female goes to the sea for food.

6. Penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere

Penguin habitat on the world map

Don't go to Alaska if you're looking for penguins. There are 19 described species of penguins on the planet, and all but one live below the equator. Despite the common misconception that all penguins live among the icebergs of Antarctica, this is not true either. Penguins live on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere, including Africa, South America and Australia. Most inhabit islands where they are not threatened large predators. The only species that lives north of the equator is the Galapagos penguin ( Spheniscus mendiculus), which, as you might guess from the name, lives in the Galapagos Islands.

7. Climate change poses a direct threat to the survival of penguins

Penguins around the world are under threat from climate change and some species could soon become extinct, scientists warn. Penguins rely on food sources that are sensitive to changes in ocean temperature and depend on polar ice. As the planet warms, the sea ice melt season lasts longer, impacting krill populations and penguin habitat.

Five penguin species are already classified as critically endangered, and most of the remaining species are vulnerable or threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is the most endangered species on this list.

06.05.2016

Penguins are the only order of penguinformes, consisting of 18 species. This is a family of flightless seabirds, all members of which are good divers and swimmers. What interesting facts about penguins can be cited as an example when analyzing this group of animals?

1. Unlike others flightless birds, penguins have well-developed sternum bones, which help them move quickly in the water.
2. Penguins are large birds, whose average weight is 45 kg. Most big penguin- imperial. He can easily reach a person's shoulder while standing.
3. Penguins live in the southern hemisphere from Antarctica to the Galapagos Islands.
4. Most penguin species mate for life.
5. Penguin chicks are born densely haired and blind.
6. Penguins do not nest every year. Between nesting periods, they swim in the ocean about 1,000 km from where their chicks will be born.
7. Once a year, penguins molt for 20 days. Old feathers are replaced with new ones gradually. Molting occurs on land in a secluded place. During this period, the birds are hungry.
8. There are 36 known species of penguins in fossil form, the oldest of which was found in the New Zealand archipelago.
9. Unlike other penguins, emperor penguins nest on the ice, and during the harshest times of the year.
10. The appearance of a single egg is greeted by the male and female emperor penguin with jubilant cries. The male remains to watch the egg until it hatches, and the female goes to sea. Sometimes males run away into the sea, leaving the female behind; such egoists also occur. Then the egg dies and the chick is not born.
11. By the time the chick hatches, the female emperor penguin returns, and the male goes off to fatten for a month. He will return to feed the baby. If the female does not return or is late, the chick will not survive.
12. Single male penguins steal newborns and fights often arise between them for possession of the baby.
13. King penguins nest on rocky shores islands that north of Antarctica. The male and female take turns incubating the egg.
14. Penguins whose chicks have died for some reason begin breeding at an earlier date.
15. The most numerous among penguins is the Antarctic Adélie species. They nest on the windy rocky shores of Antarctica and on nearby islands. Having arrived at the site, they begin to dig a hole and line it with stones, often stealing building material from each other.
16. Male and female Adélie penguins incubate eggs, replacing each other. For about 2 weeks, one of the parents feeds, and then the other. If the clutch dies for some reason, the parents still return to its place and stay there, fasting for about two weeks, but they do not start a new clutch.
17. Adelie penguins are very curious and fearless birds.
18. The smallest is the little penguin. It nests along the southern coast of Australia and on nearby islands. His height is 40 cm.
19. The Galapagos penguin makes its nesting grounds to the north. This is the only species of the genus that lives in the tropics.
20. The magnificent penguin differs from other species in that it does not form colonies when nesting. Pairs nest separately and form for life or until the death of one of the partners.
21. Penguins drink sea ​​water. Excess salt is removed from them using glands located at the top of the eyes.
22. More recently, using DNA analysis, scientists have identified the closest relatives of penguins. They are loons, petrels and albatrosses.
23. Penguins can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes.
24. Although the speed of movement of penguins on land is 1-2 kilometers per hour, at this speed they can cover a distance of up to 100 kilometers without stopping to rest.

About half of penguin species are endangered, and three species are close to extinction.

Penguins are represented by many species and are quite common on the planet. Their characteristic gait makes them funny creatures that appeal to both children and adults. There are several fascinating facts associated with this interesting family.

Penguins lost the ability to fly sixty-two million years ago

Initially, these birds could fly, but over time they began to swim more actively and, as a result, lost the ability to rise into the air. The most amazing thing is how long ago penguins began to strive for life in the water. The oldest species discovered during excavations lived sixty million years ago. And by that time they could not fly, although they were not as well adapted to life in water as modern ones. Scientists believe that ancient penguins moved along the surface of the water.

Giant penguins weighing eighty kilograms lived in New Zealand forty million years ago.

When we look at historical facts about penguins, we can learn amazing details about their ancestors. On this moment The largest are emperor penguins. They are more than a meter tall and weigh forty-five kilograms. In New Zealand, traces of ancient penguins that lived here forty million years ago were found - they were taller than one and a half meters and weighed about eighty kilograms! Scientists have not been able to establish whether this was a specific species or whether such dimensions were the result natural factors, because here the birds had no natural enemies and there was an incredible amount of food. Over time, whales began to appear here, which became a danger to penguins - as a result, they became extinct twenty-five million years ago.

Penguins are predators

The harmless appearance of the animal, as if dressed in a tailcoat, attracts children and adults, which is why penguins are real favorites of zoo visitors. But not all people who are touched by a cute creature that funnyly minces with its small paws know that they are dangerous predators who eat exclusively meat. Penguins catch fish and other sea creatures, such as squid and octopus. This diet is caused by the location of distribution - most penguins live in Antarctica, where there are practically no plants. Moreover, they are not only predators, but also food for predators, especially in childhood - they are hunted by seals and killer whales.

Penguins can endure cold temperatures of minus seventy degrees Celsius by congregating close to each other.

Emperor penguins are able to withstand the harsh Antarctic climate through adaptation. They have a thick layer of feathers that help reduce heat loss, and penguins can control blood flow to warm certain parts of the body. Most importantly, to survive, they work in groups, huddling together in a dense crowd, huddling together and keeping each other warm. The penguins don't just stand, they constantly change places so that no one has to stand all the time at the edge, where it is coldest, and no one always remains in the center, where it is warmer.

Penguins can dive five hundred meters

The largest penguins in existence today, emperor penguins, are capable of things that are inaccessible to others precisely because of their size. For example, when diving, they are able to dive to a depth of five hundred meters. To compensate for the pressure they have to withstand, their bodies have certain features. For example, they have dense bones - in other birds they are filled with air. This helps minimize barotrauma. During a dive, the pulse is reduced as much as possible to save oxygen, and the emperor penguin's blood has a special composition that allows the body to function longer without breathing.

Penguins can drink salt water

The digestive system of these birds is ideally adapted to life by the sea. Fun fact: They have a gland in their throat that filters salt from their bloodstream. This allows penguins to drink salty seawater if they are thirsty. It could kill a person!

Penguins live in colonies of two hundred thousand birds.

Emperor penguins form groups to survive, but other species prefer to live together. Golden-haired penguins love company more than others - they can live in colonies of several hundred thousand birds. As a result of this habitat, penguins developed unique way communicate with other birds. They dont have complex language, but there is a certain vocal system with the help of which males and females can communicate.

Emperor penguins lay only one egg during the breeding season

During the cold Antarctic months, emperor penguins begin to breed and each female can lay only one egg. This is due to the fact that protecting it from the cold is already difficult, so large quantity the eggs would simply disappear. The emperor penguin is the fifth largest bird on the planet. During incubation, males lose a quarter of their weight. However, only a fifth of all chicks survive the first year of their life.
On average, emperor penguins live up to twenty years, while scientists believe that some can live up to fifty. As a result of high mortality of young animals average age 80% of the penguins in the population are five or more years old.

Penguins do not live in the northern hemisphere

Penguins can only be found in one hemisphere of the planet. When these birds were first discovered, they were confused with loons. These are northern birds that may be somewhat similar to penguins, but are a completely separate genus. Modern loons can fly, although they do not show brilliant results in this matter. All of them common features with penguins are explained by joint development and survival in similar territories.

Penguins can swim at speeds of up to forty kilometers per hour

The penguin cannot fly, but it swims just fine. Tiny wings turn into powerful engines in the water. Usually these birds move no faster than fifteen kilometers per hour, but in case of danger due to an attack by a seal or killer whale, they can accelerate significantly - even up to forty kilometers per hour!

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municipal budgetary educational institution "Besedinskaya secondary school" Kursk region Kursk region Presentation: Penguins Prepared by: 7th grade student Stepkin Alexander Head Kalugina Irina Stanislavna *

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* The penguin is one of the most unusual and unique representatives of the bird world. Appearance and with their gait, penguins look like little people.

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* Penguin is a symbol of Antarctica Antarctica is a vast region of the Earth, the south polar region globe, including the mainland of Antarctica and the southern parts of three oceans: the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific (this water body of the Earth is also called the Southern Arctic Ocean). Almost all of Antarctica is covered with a thick layer continental ice. Its average thickness is about 1500 m. Antarctica is the most severe region of the globe, it is always very cold here, long-lasting strong, often hurricane-force winds blow, and there are often snow storms and fogs. There is no permanent population in Antarctica. In the coastal part there are separate scientific stations and fishing bases with a small number of variable personnel.

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* WHERE DO PENGUINS LIVE In Antarctica, there are only two species of penguins - “emperor” and Adélie penguins. In general, scientists count from 16 to 18 living species of penguins. In addition, about 40 more fossil species are known to science. The remaining species inhabit the islands of the Southern Arctic, the Western and Southern coasts of South America, South coast Australia, New Zealand, and the African penguin is the coast of South Africa.

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* The homeland of both ancient and modern penguins is only Southern Hemisphere. Their origin is lost somewhere in the depths Cretaceous period Mesozoic era, perhaps at least 100 million years ago. The largest fossil penguin species is the Eocene Nordenskiöld penguin. He was almost as tall as a man and weighed about 120 kg. Some other ancient species of penguins reached almost the same size. Of the living birds, the closest to penguins are tubenoses, which include petrels and albatrosses, which have perfectly mastered aquatic environment. Penguin ancestors

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* HOW THEY WERE FOUND AT ALL The first Europeans to see real southern penguins were the sailors of Vasco da Gama's expeditions - in 1497. at south coast Africa, and Magellan - in 1520. off the southeastern coast of South America. In the descriptions of these voyages, penguins have not yet appeared under their modern name. Strange, but most often unusual birds were compared to geese. Pin-wing, i.e. hairpin-wing - this, according to one version, is the origin of the name penguin. Vasco da Gama Fernando Magellan

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* Penguins are super swimmers. Penguins have adapted better than any other bird to life in the water. They have reached the level of seals and dolphins in this. Penguins don't just swim underwater, they fly underwater, very quickly and dexterously. Their main propulsion mechanism when swimming is their wings-flippers. The swimming speed is about 20-25 km/h, but if penguins are in a hurry, they can reach a speed of 40 km/h. Penguins are fast swimmers, like dolphins or seals, jump out of the water. And in the Antarctic, penguins escaping from predators, picking up speed, easily jump onto the high fast ice.

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* ... and super divers In their ability to dive, penguins are again not inferior to seals and dolphins and are undoubtedly superior to other birds.

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* The penguin’s “clothes” are a “shell” of hard, durable, short, shiny feathers arranged like tiles on a roof. They prevent the wind from reaching the down padding between the body and the “shell”. But penguins have very little fluff under their feathers. Therefore, like seals, penguins have fat layer. The paws are not covered with feathers, but they are fat and black, which makes it possible to catch solar heat. Penguin bones are heavy. Heavy weight helps them dive to get food.

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* WHAT DO PENGUINS EAT Penguins eat plankton, fish and cephalopods, mainly krill. They extract it only from the sea and never use waste. One of the smallest and most numerous inhabitants of the southern polar region is the tiny crustaceans Euphausia superba Dana, simply called krill. Their quantity is measured not in pieces, but in tons. But that’s too many tons! The area around the mainland where krill is found is 20 million square meters. km of ocean waters. Euphausia superba Dana, simply called krill.

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* Penguins are social birds. They stay in groups and flocks at sea, and during reproduction they necessarily form colonies, sometimes reaching several hundred thousand and even millions of individuals.