April 25 marks a special day of the year; a day where we take a moment in the busy year to celebrate something very special… Penguins. Easily on the top 10 of everyone’s favourite animal list, this cute and cuddly bird deserves attention and we are going to give it exactly that.
A Penguin
Penguins were discovered by a Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Diaz who was the first European to reach the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. However, the first documentation of penguins came from Alvero Vehlo, a Portuguese writer/ sailor whom sailed with Vasco de Gama, in 1497. Initially the penguins found on the Southern Hemisphere voyages were thought to be Great Auks, a type of flightless bird found in the North Atlantic but are unrelated to penguins.
Penguins are characterised typically as black and white aquatic, flightless birds whom are found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere mostly around Antarctica (except for one species found north of the equator which is the Galapagos Penguin). Their ‘wings’ have developed into flippers which make them highly adaptive to water as they spend half their life in the oceans hunting fish, krill and other sea life like squid. In the water these animals are majestically agile, flying through the water like birds do in the sky, at speeds of up to 17 mph.
They have a smooth plumage, a layer of feathers, that preserves a layer of air while they are underwater to ensure buoyancy and it also helps to keep them insulated while they’re in cold waters. They’re black and white colouring is called counter-shading which is a type of camouflage that makes it difficult for their predators, orcas or leopard seals, to distinguish whether it is a penguin or the reflective surface of the water.
Pick Your Type
There are 17 species of penguin, the biggest is the Emperor Penguin which can grow to around 1.1m tall and weigh in up to 35kg (That’s the same as 350 blueberry muffins) and the smallest is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin) which can grow to a mere 33cm tall and weigh in at 1.5kg (that’s the same as 15 blueberry muffins)- coupled with its slight blue tinge and its compact size this little guy is easily the winner of the ‘adorable factor’ of the species.
Penguins are not limited or restricted to the Antarctic regions although it is found that the larger penguin species will live in colder regions while their smaller relatives prefer more temperate climates.
World Penguin Day - Did you Know?
• A group of penguins is called a Waddle (Large groups can be referred to a colony also).
• Penguins can hold their breathe for up to 20 minutes underwater.
• Penguins have tiny spikes on their tongues to help grab on to slippery fish.
• Penguins can dive as deep as 500 meters underwater.
• Penguins communicate through body language.
• Penguins have only one mate for life- Gentoo Penguins search through all the pebbles to find the perfect pebble for their mate.
• The male penguin looks after the egg and they can go for as long as two months without food while looking after the egg.
• On an island, Kyushu in Japan there was a penguin called La La that would waddle into town with a backpack and collects fish from the local fish market.
The Love for Penguins
Penguins are loved and adored around the world and it’s no surprise that have become part of human life. Their black and white characteristics are heavily likened and referenced to tuxedos (penguin suits) accompanied by their identifying trademark waddle. Penguins have been subjects of great movies like Happy Feet, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and of course, who could forget those lovable and hilarious penguins from Madagascar! Morgan Freeman, aka The Voice, has even narrated a documentary about them, proving their status even further.
Their stature in the animal kingdom, and our hearts, is further inspired as they are also a popular emblem and symbol for sports teams, most notably for the Pittsburgh Penguins an ice hockey team in the NHL.
Help!
Climate change is heavily destroying parts of the Antarctic region, declining over 40% in the last 30 years, which is home to most species of penguins. It's heating up faster than the global average and that is resulting in the melting of the ice that the penguins depend on for places to breed and get food from.
In a study by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in 2008, it stated that if the global average temperature rises above pre-industrial levels by just two degrees Celsius then we could lose over 50% - 75% of our cuddly, adorable little friends- this could happen in the next 30 years!
What can we do to help these amazing creatures?
• Help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage renewable energy.
• Reduce illegal and unsustainable fishing practices- that can force species of penguins to compete for the left-over fish and this type of fishing can lead to accidental capture and drowning in fishing nets.
• Raise awareness of the threats of climate change.
• Adopt a penguin and support their protection.
Take A Moment
Penguins are simply adorable and everyone needs an excuse to celebrate these amazing, not to mention super cuddly, creatures! They deserve our respect and appreciation but also our help, as do every other creature, to conserve their environment and sustain their numbers because a world without penguins just isn’t a world worth being in.
So, while they comically waddle to the edge of the ice before elegantly diving into the ocean’s waters to effortlessly glide with and against the current; lets just take a moment to admire these truly beautiful animals.
Happy World Penguin Day!
