Penguin Life Cycle

Penguins are birds which walk awkwardly on the land but 'fly' in the sea. They seem to be the most suitable 'evolution' specimen because they have adapted perfectly to their surroundings. They mostly live in big groups or colonies called as 'rookery'. Though their main food is fish, but they love eating krills and squids. There are almost 17 sub-species of penguins. Emperor penguins are the largest of these sub-species found on earth. More or less, all the sub species follow the same life cycle.

Normally penguins start breeding at the age of five. All penguins come on bare ground to lay eggs; while the emperor penguins lay eggs on ice. In the month of May, they travel 90-100 km inland in search of the 'perfect site' for breeding. It is a very risky journey. Penguins who are left behind, fall prey to predators or may even die of starvation. When they have finalized a site, in April they start mating. They find their soul mates through singing. They live with the same partner throughout their life.

After a few weeks female penguin lays 1 or 2 eggs. By this time the female penguins get totally exhausted and need to go to the sea to feed. They transfer the eggs to their male partners. The males place the egg on their feet and incubate it. This transfer is the most important phase because if the eggs break they can mate only in the next year. Almost 20% eggs break during this transfer. The females go to feed while the males stay on land and face the cold. This the most unique feature in the penguin life cycle. In no other species of animals or birds, are the fathers known to take care of their little ones. The penguin fathers are very loving, they fast for almost 2 months till their female partners return. During cold winds they form a close circle, to save heat for their offspring. The eggs hatch, sometime near August.

The chicks (little ones of penguins) look like some new species all together, because they have fur and not feathers on their body. They hardly resemble their parents. As soon as they come out of their eggs they start calling, so that their parents learn to recognize their voices. During this time the females return and feed the chicks by regurgitating while the males go for feeding. The male and females take turns to feed the chicks. This is repeated almost 6 times. When the chick is strong enough; both the parents go together for feeding. The chicks stay in a close circle just as their fathers do when protecting their little ones from cold. The parents recognize their chicks by their voices. Finally in the month of December the families leave for the sea. One advantage of this cycle is, by the time the chicks are ready to swim; it is summer and the sea is abundant with food. The next year the same cycle is repeated; the adults start their journey, while the young ones stay on the shore.

Today these unique species are endangered due to oil spills, water pollution and increased fishing. Interference by man is taking a toll of their life cycle too. Attempts are being made to save their natural habitats. So amigos; live and let live!