Everyone knows that I LOVE penguins (I mean, look at my blog name). So when it was time for me to write my first ever blog post, I finally got a taste of what writer's block is. So what better to write about than my favourite thing ever? So, here goes:
My Favourite Penguin Facts:
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| http://adaraassociates.com/tag/btob/ |
1. Southern Hemisphere for the win!
Almost all species of penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, the Galapagos penguin is the only one that ventures north of the equator in the wild. "Why" you may ask? www.mnm.com says:
"Although the Galapagos Islands are known for decidedly balmy, un-penguin-like weather, the cool waters of the Humboldt Current help the endemic seabirds survive.
And you’re probably wondering why, since they enjoy chilly water so much, penguins haven’t migrated north to the Arctic. In case you’ve forgotten, penguins aren’t exactly capable of becoming airborne, meaning that they’d have to swim (or swim, walk, waddle) north of the equator through waters that are simply too warm for them to survive. And even then there’s the issue of polar bears and other land predators that penguins simply aren’t used to in their natural habitats. "
www.mentalfloss.com said:
"Penguins evolved to stay in the Southern Hemisphere because there are no land predators, like wolves or polar bears, to take make quick work of the plump flightless prey"
"Penguins evolved to stay in the Southern Hemisphere because there are no land predators, like wolves or polar bears, to take make quick work of the plump flightless prey"
2. Big vs. Small
The biggest penguin is the Emperor Penguin at 1.2m found in Antarctica and the smallest is the Little Blue Penguin found in Australia and New Zealand, standing at only 40cm tall! |
| http://image.frompo.com/6da12b274d609f220445babdd410d12d |
3. Clever Camouflage
Much like the Great White Shark, penguins have similar colourings in the sense of where they are located. They are black on the back and white on the front. This is so that when a predator or prey look down in the water, the penguins blend in with the darkness of the depths. When the predator or prey look up towards the surface, the white colour of their bodies blends in with the light shining through from above. Brilliant if you ask me!4. Monogamy
Although penguins are monogamous, females have been known to "flirt" with other male penguins. What happens is the females (who already have mates) flirt with other males during nesting season until they let their guards down, then, when the opportunity presents itself, the females will steal a bit of the male's nest and run back to her own, using it to add to her nest. Sneaky little things!
5. Duck, duck, goose! Uh, penguin?
This is hilarious! Antonio Pigafetta (who was abroad for the first circumnavigation of Ferdinand Magellan) made the first ever published account of penguins in 1520 in Argentina. He called them "geece".Vasco de Gama made a diary entry in 1497 during his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope where he mentioned penguins as "large ducks".
6. Fresh water, Salt water
Penguins are able to live in fresh water (Many penguin facilities find it cheaper to keep penguins in fresh water tanks) but they do need salt supplements that are often given to them in tablet form, stuffed inside a fish.In the wild however, they consume a lot of salt water, not by drinking but by catching food, salt water often gets ingested. They have a special suproarbital gland above their eye that helps them to filter the salt water from their bloodstream. They also sneeze the left over salt water out of their mouths.
Wild penguins get their hydration from either eating ice or from small meltwater/rainwater puddles and ponds.
7. Poop From Space!
Because all but 2 species of penguins live in massive colonies, this means that there is a lot of poop. Like, A LOT! This makes it easy for scientists to spot colonies from space as they just look out for dark, poop stained ice or rocks. |
| http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jun/02/wildlife-poles |
8. Bones And Stones.
Most birds have hollow bones to keep them light to be able to fly. Penguins don't. Heavier bones help with their buoyancy underwater, making them quick swimmers. Some penguins can swim up to 24.14 km/h!Penguins also eat rocks along with their seafood. This is believed to help with digestion and to help them become heavier to dive to deeper depths with ease.
9. 6 Million Years And Counting!
The earliest penguin fossils were found embedded in rock and are 61 million years old! They are believed to have been very awkward in the water and had much longer beaks than the penguins of today. They were bigger than any living penguin found today. One being more than 1.6m tall! (About my height people!) |
| https://fossilpenguins.wordpress.com/tag/fossil-species-roll-call/ |
10. Penguin Proposals.
Male penguins have been known to search entire beaches for days looking for the smoothest, prettiest pebble. Once he finds it, he fights off other males until he gets to the lady penguin he's been eyeing. He drops the pebble at her feet and if she accepts it, they'll be mates for life.Interestingly, penguins are loyal to a nesting rookery/site and will return to the same site they were born at to breed.
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| http://www.colinstattoos.com/jackass-penguins-south-africa/ |
