​50 interesting facts about penguins for the curious. The most interesting and educational facts about penguins Northern crested penguin

For many, penguins are funny inhabitants of the snow-covered, coldest regions of the planet. Thanks to their shape, rather unusual gait and fluffy coat, they seem cute, which is why they so often become heroes of children's cartoons. But in fact, these creatures are very hardy, because they live in very difficult conditions. Over the years of research, scientists have collected many different interesting facts about penguins.

1. The biggest nightmare for penguins is killer whales. Huge predatory creatures resembling something between a shark and a whale, they love penguin meat. Therefore, when they don’t know whether there is an underwater enemy nearby or not, they crowd around the edge of the cliff for a very long time, not daring to jump into the water. This happens until one person plucks up courage, and if, having found himself in the water, he remains alive, then only then will everyone else follow him.

2. An interesting fact about penguins for children is that not all of them live within the poles. Representatives of the species are known to live on the Galapagos Islands, islands where the average temperature is 18 degrees Celsius.

4. Another interesting fact about emperor penguins - among many others, they stand out for their monogamous nature. Having chosen a mate once, they remain together for the rest of their lives.

5. These animals really are not afraid of cold water. They are saved from it by a rather thick layer of fat, as well as feathers that fit together without any gaps.

6. Interesting fact about Adelie penguins. Sometimes the layer of fat in their body is so large that it can lead to overheating. In such cases, they can be found in a funny pose; while standing, they spread their legs as much as possible in different directions - this allows you to get rid of the debilitating excess heat much faster.

7. Penguins take great care of their future offspring, even when they have not yet hatched. A small group of researchers once tested this from their own experience. Having approached the clutch, they stole one egg and decided to eat it upon returning to camp. The creatures silently followed them all the way, without attacking or shouting, just not lagging behind. Unable to resist, the kidnappers gave them the egg back, unable to tolerate their constant presence any longer.

8. An interesting fact about penguins for children - they walk in an upright position, they only walk on snow. As for the ice, they lie on it with their belly down and slide, helping themselves with their paws and wings.

9. They do not experience any need for fresh water. Regardless of the species, these creatures quench their thirst with salt water without danger to life, because they have special glands that act as filters.

10. Among the interesting facts about king penguins is their rare hunting. They get together to make money just once every two weeks. They eat until they are full, and then eat nothing at all until the next trip for fish, they only drink, maintaining their water balance. During this period, they usually lose almost half of their body weight.

Amazing birds, penguins, seem to many to be very funny creatures. And really, is it possible to resist being moved while watching their clubfooted gait? But in fact, evolution has adapted them to live in harsh conditions, and these funny birds cope very well. Only now the influence of technogenic civilization is gradually destroying their habitat, and soon a threat to their population may appear.

Penguin facts

• There are 18 species of these birds in the world.
• The first penguins appeared on Earth so long ago that they overtook the dinosaurs.
• Up to 30% of the total penguin mass comes from the very developed muscles of the chest. They need such strong muscles to swim quickly.
• When on land, penguins sit, leaning on their short tail. And when swimming, it serves as their rudder.
• Unlike all other birds, penguins have dense bones rather than hollow ones, and are more reminiscent of mammalian bones ().
• Almost half of all flightless bird species on Earth are penguins. But they are not the largest of their kind - there are also ostriches ().
• Since penguins are often hunted by killer whales, these birds do not always risk diving into the water. If one, the bravest one, dives and survives, the rest of the flock follows him.
• Galapagos penguins, living on the islands of the same name, live in a warm, even hot climate, and they are not at all adapted to the cold.
• The largest of the penguins, emperor penguins, spend up to 10 months annually in Antarctica.
• Penguin feathers resemble hairs or hairs.
• During molting, these birds cannot swim, and therefore starve until their feathers grow back, unless they are fed by their relatives.
• Penguins are the only birds in the world that can swim without being able to fly.
• Of all the birds, only penguins walk standing up, like people.
• To keep warm, penguins huddle together in dense groups. In the center of this gathering, the temperature can be 40-45 degrees higher than outside, and the birds constantly change places to ensure that everyone gets the warmth.
• To avoid falling into the snow, penguins lie on their stomachs and glide like skiers, pushing off with their wings. Moreover, they can move quite quickly in this way.
• Penguin paws do not feel cold due to the fact that they have very few nerve endings.
• They are able to survive at temperatures down to -60 degrees. Such cold can quickly kill most other living beings.
• Emperor penguins are monogamous and mate for life.
• A case was recorded when, after a group of exploration geologists stole a penguin egg, the entire flock began to pursue them, without, however, trying to attack them. After consulting, the kidnappers returned the egg to the birds, and they left behind.
• Penguins' swimming speed reaches 30-35 km/h.

• Typically, these birds search for prey in near-surface waters, but if necessary, they can dive to depths of 100-200 meters. And emperor penguins - up to 500 meters.
• Most penguins are quite indifferent to everything around them unless they are in danger. But rock penguins have a rather angry disposition, and they are often the first to attack any uninvited guest.
• The fat layer of penguins living in cold regions reaches 2-3 cm in thickness.
• They often lose weight and gain weight. Thus, emperor penguins hunt 2-3 times a month, eating to their heart's content. By the next hunt they may lose 30-40 percent of their mass.
• Gentoo penguin droppings are pink.
• The weight of small penguins is only 1-2.5 kg, and their height usually does not exceed 30-40 cm.
• Penguins have a flat cornea, which allows them to see perfectly underwater, but on land they are myopic because of this ().
• To more successfully dive to greater depths, penguins swallow stones.
• They can stay under water for up to 25-30 minutes.
• The eggs are hatched by the males of these birds, and not by the females, who hunt at this time.
• Penguins' walking speed on land does not exceed 2-3 km/h, but if necessary, they can walk up to a hundred kilometers without stopping to rest.
• Patagonian penguins can swim for several weeks at a time, covering a distance of several thousand kilometers.
• All penguins, except emperor penguins, build nests.
• They do not require fresh water to drink. Penguins easily manage with sea water, and excess salt is removed from their bodies with the help of special glands.
• Of all the species of penguins in the world, the golden-haired ones are the most numerous. Now there are about 20 million of them on Earth.
• The magnificent penguins found in New Zealand are the only ones that spend most of their lives on land.
• The number of penguin colonies can reach 10-20 thousand individuals.
• Female penguins sometimes kidnap other people's babies if their own dies.
• These birds easily recognize each other by their voices.
• Most penguins are not afraid of people, as they are accustomed to the fact that danger can only lie in wait for them in the water.
• Unlike most other birds, penguins have no pronounced sexual dimorphism, and it is very difficult to visually distinguish females from males.
• The ancestors of modern penguins lived in a different geological era, when Antarctica was not yet at the pole, and its climate was quite warm. Millions of years passed, Antarctica shifted to the South Pole, and most of the native animals either migrated or became extinct. But the penguins stayed and adapted.
• During the mating season, individual penguin colonies cluster together, and up to 5 million of these birds can be found in one place.

When we talk about penguins, we immediately think of Antarctica. But these birds also live in New Zealand, Africa and even on the equator. Let's meet the world of penguins!

The habitat of emperor penguins is Antarctica. This is the most famous and largest species of penguin. The body length of an adult animal exceeds one meter, and its weight can reach forty kilograms. Emperor penguins live in Antarctica for ten months of the year. Every two months, according to scientists, they spend in the open sea and on ice floes near Antarctica. These birds, like most penguins, are monogamous - they remain in established pairs for life. The female looks for a new “husband” only if her regular partner has died. Emperor penguins do not have nests. Males place the eggs on their paws and cover them with the abdominal fold.

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The habitat of Adélie penguins is Antarctica.
For the first time, scientists discovered these birds in one of the Antarctic regions called Adélie Land. Adélie penguins live on the border between the floating ice of Antarctica and the open sea. But you can’t nest on ice: it will melt and the eggs will drown. Therefore, in the spring, penguins move to the mainland. To do this, they have to travel from several tens to hundreds of kilometers.

They cannot fly, so they travel on foot or crawl on their belly, and quite quickly - at a speed of up to 6 km/h. On the shore, males build small stone nests, and females lay two eggs in them. In December, the ice melts, and the penguins again find themselves close to the water.

The habitat of king penguins is Antarctica. These penguins are famous as excellent fishermen. During the breeding season, all king penguins together (about a million pairs) eat up to 7,000 tons of fish. Birds hunt in small flocks. Each of them has several old experienced penguins. They teach young people to hunt. In order to catch fish, birds dive to a depth of more than 20 meters. Penguins go fishing once every two weeks, and in between they do not eat anything, only drink. And both fresh and salt water.

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During the two-week diet, the birds lose half their weight. King penguin families produce chicks less frequently than other species. First, the female lays one egg, and the next year another. And the third egg is only two years after the second.

Subantarctic (Papuan ) penguins

The habitat of subantarctic penguins is the subantarctic islands. These birds are also often called donkey penguins because their loud calls are very similar to those of a donkey. Subantarctic penguins are excellent swimmers. Scientists have observed these birds swimming at a speed of 40 km/h. Penguins make nests among tufts of grass. Females lay two eggs. Newborn chicks have to fight for their parents to feed them. Every time during feeding, the father runs away from the babies, and the children try to catch up with him. Whoever wins the race gets a portion of food. The weaker chick is fed only if there is a lot of food.

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Otherwise, he gets nothing, and he dies of hunger. In the 19th century, these birds almost became extinct. They were exterminated by whalers who hunted them for their oil and eggs. These days, birds are protected by the international Red Book. You can't hunt them.

The habitat of golden-haired penguins is the Antarctic Islands. These are the most common penguins in the world. According to various zoologists, the current population of these birds ranges from 9 million to 11.5 million pairs. During the mating season, the bachelor male spreads his wings and begins to bow gracefully in front of the female, while emitting loud hoarse cries. If several males are fighting for the attention of a beautiful lady at once, they scream in unison. The chicks are fed and protected by males. And the females hunt and bring them food.

Southern Hemisphere- an exceptional habitat for all 17 species of the penguin family.

The largest representative of penguins- Emperor penguin, whose height reaches 120 cm, and the smallest is the small, or blue penguin. His height on average is only 33 cm.

The fastest penguin- subantarctic, or gentoo penguin. Underwater it can reach speeds of up to 36 km/h.

Color, as usual in the animal world, helps penguins to mimic their environment: the black back blends in with the dark and gloomy seabed, and the white belly blends in with the light surface of the water.

Penguin Ancestors survived the mass extinction of dinosaurs - this is evidenced by the fossilized remains of the earliest relative of the penginov, whose age, according to scientists, is about 60 million years.

Special supraorbital gland, which penguins have, filters salt water from the bloodstream. The fact is that while hunting for fish, penguins swallow a lot of sea water. They use this gland to secrete salt water through their beaks or by sneezing.

Penguins molt, unlike other birds, large-scale. If other birds shed several feathers, then penguins do not waste time on trifles - they get rid of a huge number of feathers at a time, because of which they cannot swim and are forced to remain on land (read - without food) until new feathers grow.

In the colonies, whose number can reach thousands of birds, almost all penguins are raised - with the exception of literally a few species.

Penguins are monogamous and monogamous. It depends on the specific species, but most penguins mate for life.

Nest, which penguins create, as a rule, also becomes permanent: in most cases, penguins nest in the place where they themselves were born.

Emperor penguins, unlike other brothers, they do not make nests from pebbles and feathers. The female emperor penguin lays only one egg, which is incubated in the brood pouch, a special fold on the underside of the belly. First, the female incubates the egg, then rolls it and gives it to the male (who also has a brood pouch).

plump males have an advantage over slender penguins - they have enough fat to survive several weeks without food, incubating the egg while the female goes to feed.

About the chicks Both parents, male and female, take care of them. It usually takes several months for a baby to become strong enough to hunt independently.

Kidnapping This is not news for emperor penguins: if a female’s calf dies, she can kidnap a stranger.

Excellent hearing Almost all species of penguins can boast, despite the lack of visible ears. They can easily recognize their comrades from hundreds of other penguins in a populous colony by their voices.

"Strange Geese"- this is what Antonio Pigafetta called the penguins, who traveled with Magellan in 1520 and was the first person to tell the world about the mysterious birds.

In 1487, on board Vasco da Gama's ship Among the entries in the anonymous diary there is a description of flightless birds in the area of ​​the Cape of Good Hope. Perhaps there was also talk about penguins.

No fear Penguins don’t feel bad in front of people, because they are not used to danger on earth. Don't be surprised when you hear stories of people petting or hand-feeding penguins.

The air in the layers of feathers is the tool that protects penguins from heat loss, especially when swimming (in very, very cold water).

The word "penguin" has been used since the 16th century to refer to the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), an extinct species that once lived off the eastern coast of Canada. When explorers traveled to the Southern Hemisphere and encountered the great auk-like black and white birds, they dubbed them penguins.

Ecology

Basics:

Penguins are one of 40 species of flightless birds, including ostriches, ramies, cassowaries, emus and kiwis. Penguins are neither the largest nor the smallest of this group, but many consider them the most adorable.

These birds are known for their waddling gait and distinctive coloration with a white belly and dark back and wings. The tuxedo was probably invented after looking at the “outfit” of penguins. This coloring, according to biologists, helps the penguin hide from the enemy in the sea. The penguin's body is ideally built for swimming due to its shape, small wings resembling fins, and webbed feet.

The largest subspecies of penguin is emperor penguin. Average individuals of this subspecies reach a height of about 114 centimeters and weigh 41 kilograms. The smallest subspecies is little penguin , which is only 25 centimeters in height and weighs about 1.1 kilograms.

Penguins feed on marine animals: small sea crustaceans - krill, squid and various types of fish. Since they do not have teeth, penguins swallow their food whole. Penguins use their pointed beaks and rough tongues to catch prey.

Penguins spend 75 percent of their time in the ocean, but breed on shore or on ice floes.

Habitat:

Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctica, New Zealand, southern Australia and even southern Africa and South America. The only exception is Galapagos penguins , whose homeland is the Galapagos Islands, located in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, so penguins periodically appear in the Northern Hemisphere, swimming across the equator, but they do not live further north of these islands.

Penguins prefer to live on islands or isolated areas where there is minimal threat from land-based predators.

The ideal climate for these birds depends on the species, for example, Galapagos penguins prefer tropical islands, while emperor penguins and Adelie penguins live on ice in Antarctica.

Conservation status: Endangered

Among the 17 penguin species, 13 are endangered or seriously endangered. Several species are critically endangered.

Among the penguins whose numbers are rapidly declining are the following subspecies:

-- Great crested penguin , whose homeland is New Zealand. Over the past 20 years, it has lost about 70 percent of its population.

-- Galapagos penguin. Since the 1970s, the number of these birds has declined by 50 percent.

-- Magnificent Penguin or penguin hoiho , distributed on the islands of New Zealand. There are about 4 thousand individuals left in the wild. In 2004, he suffered due to an epidemic of a disease of unknown origin.

-- Rockhopper Penguin , living on the islands of Tristan da Cunha and Goff in the south Atlantic.

-- Spectacled penguin , common in South Africa and Namibia. Due to the collection of eggs, the number of penguins decreased many times over the 20th century.

Many penguin species are suffering due to population growth and human encroachment into their habitats, as well as the introduction of mammalian predators such as dogs, cats and ferrets, which have been introduced by humans into the areas where these birds live. Another problem is commercial fishing. Penguins are often caught in fishing nets and suffer from oil spills and algae growth.

Added to this is climate change, which plays an important role in reducing penguin populations everywhere. As temperatures rise, the ice on which penguins nest is melting, leaving them without enough space to breed.

Stereotypical parental roles are seen in emperor penguins. The male incubates the eggs while the female goes in search of food. When the chick hatches from the egg, the father feeds it with “milk”, which is produced in its esophagus.

To keep warm in icy conditions, penguins have a thick layer of fat and their bodies are covered with water-repellent feathers.

Penguins shed feathers, in place of which new ones grow, every year during the molting period, which lasts 2-3 weeks. Penguins spend a lot of time grooming themselves to ensure they look great all year round.

-- Magellanic penguin named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first discovered it in 1520 and whose name is given to the strait on the southern edge of South America, separating the island of Tierra del Fuego from the mainland. It is in these places that Magellanic penguins live.

Although most female and male penguins do not differ much in appearance from each other, during mating season, female penguins can be distinguished from males by the dirty spots on their backs that the male leaves during mating.