Penguin Fact File
By Florence KIntroduction
Penguins are flightless seabirds that live almost exclusively below the equator. Penguins that live in cold climates stay warm with their thick feathers and blubber under the skin. Feathers are great on land, but not much help in the glacial ocean. Penguins use the blubber layer of them by standing up and then they rock backwards on their heels to reduce contact with the cold snow. They can sleep either lying down or standing on the rocks.
Appearance
Unlike most birds, penguins do not have wings but most of them have black and white flippers allowing them to be expert swimmers. The colour of penguin’s eyes varies depending on which type of penguin they are. Many species have brown, reddish-brown or golden-brown eyes. Penguins have orange tongues that help grip the krill or fish as it enters their mouth. Humboldt Penguins have pink patches on their bare skin on their face, under their wings and on their feet.
Habitats
All wild penguins live near the sea in the Southern Hemisphere. Many penguins live in the continent of Antarctica where it is very cold with ice covered land. Not all penguins live in Antarctica, some live in the continents of South America, Australia, and Africa. You can find penguins on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere. There are eighteen species of penguins, five of which live in antarctica, and another four species of the lively penguins live in bitter, icy subantarctic islands.
This is the South African Penguin, also known as the Cape Penguin. Unlike some species of penguins, the South African penguins do not migrate; they live in colonies along the rocky coastline of South Africa and Namibia.
Diet
Penguins eat lots of various kinds of food, including cod, squids, Silverfish, sardines, and lantern fish. Young penguins depend on their parents for their food. When the baby penguin is hungry, the adult penguin gets the already eaten fish out and then the baby takes it right out of their parent’s mouth! Luckily, penguins have amazing eyesight, so they rely on their vision to spot prey.
Fun facts
If you eat too much of fish and krill the penguin’s poop will turn pink!
A group of penguins in the water are called a raft but on land they are called a waddle.
Emperor penguins can grow up to four feet tall!
The gentoo penguin is the fastest of all penguin species, reaching speeds up to twenty-two miles per hour.
In the world’s southernmost continent, penguins can live around 15 to 20 years long.
African penguins are monogamous, which means they only bread with one partner for their entire life.
Like most birds, penguins do not have teeth. Instead, they have fleshy spines that face backwards in their bodies.
Surprisingly, the smallest penguin is only one foot tall.