Penguin Facts

Penguins are cute little birds with legs that are set far down on their bodies. They waddle and hop over rocks. Sometimes they even push themselves along on their stomachs when they are on the snow.Penguins are "countershaded" that is, they are darkly colored on their backs and white on their bellies. Penguins can camouflage themselves very well because of the countershading. As they swim through the water, predators looking up from below are unable to view their white bellies against the light surface of the water, the predators above also have trouble seeing their black backs against the darkness of the deep water.

Penguin Facts

• Penguins are flightless birds.
• Most penguin babies have fluffy feathers.
• Penguins are able to stay underwater with the help of their bones which are solid and heavy.
• Penguins have a breastbone and huge paddle muscles which help them move at speeds of 25 miles per hour.
• While traveling at fast speeds, penguins leap out of the water every few feet. This action is called "Porpoising." Porpoising helps penguins breathe. The chances of being spotted by another animal is also greatly reduced because of porpoising.
• About 75% of a penguins life is spent in water, where they do all their hunting.
• Most of the time penguins breed in large colonies called rookeries.
• Penguins closer to the Equator feed on fish while those closer to the Antarctica eat more squid and krill.
• Penguins stay warm with the help of a thick layer of blubber and a waterproof body covering.
• Smaller penguins inhabit warmer climates whereas larger penguin species are found in warmer climates.
• Penguins are found on every continent in the southern hemisphere, from the tropical Galapagos Islands off South America to the Antarctica.
• There exist about 18 different species of penguins in the world.
• The natural enemies of penguins are seals and killer whales.
• Adult penguins incubate and feed their chicks in turns, once they have hatched.
• The King and Emperor penguins lay one egg each while other species lay two.
• The fairy penguin is the smallest and is 16 inches tall and weighs 2.2 pounds. The largest is the emperor penguin which is 3.7 feet tall and weighs 60 to 90 pounds.

Despite threats from other animals, penguins and their habitats are also threatened due to global warming, oil spills, pesticides and construction. Various organizations are doing their best to prevent global warming and save these beautiful creatures and their habitats.