What color are penguins. Encyclopedia of penguins: from small to emperor
Interesting facts about penguins
Penguins are very interesting and unique. They are not like other animals. This is manifested not only in their appearance, behavior, but in general in their life.
They live in the southern hemisphere. Penguins prefer low temperatures, therefore they are more concentrated in Antarctica, they also occupy a significant part of the coast South America and southern Australia.
Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly. Penguins have an upright gait that is not characteristic of other birds. They move awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. This happens because they have very short webbed feet, and at the same time a large body, besides, their knee joint is motionless.
The body shape of the penguin is streamlined, oblong. A small head with an elongated beak that opens wide for food. The penguins have a short tail with hard plumage, which serves them as a fulcrum when resting on land, and the legs take over the steering function, since the penguin still does not fly, but swims.
Its wings are different in appearance and structure from ordinary feathered birds. When viewed from the outside, the wings of a penguin look more like flippers. Penguins swim well, feel good underwater, and move there with the help of wings. The structure of the wings is such that it allows them to be rotated like screws. The shoulder joint is very mobile, the bone of the forearm and the humerus are fixedly connected at the elbow.
The average speed at which penguins swim is up to 10 km / h. The secret of fast swimming lies in the penguin's feathers. Fluffing feathers, penguins create an air gap, when immersed in water, the air escapes, creating small bubbles around the penguin, which significantly reduce friction and water resistance. Penguins often rise to the surface to get enough air and dive back into the depths, sometimes penguins jump out of the water like dolphins. The maximum time spent under water is 18 minutes, for such a time the emperor penguin is able to dive. At the same time, the depth exceeds several hundred meters.
Penguins can emerge from the water by making a high jump 1.8 meters above the coastline. This method helps them to survive from a predator - a sea leopard. The sea leopard is a large predatory seal, which, together with the killer whale, is not averse to feasting on penguins.
Penguins are also capable of walking on ice and snow on their abdomens. They push off with their legs and wings and glide.
The planet is inhabited by about 18 species of penguins. They are different in size, weight, and have some differences in color. But the base color is black and white. All penguins have a white belly, and the head, wings and back are black. There are differences in the location of the pattern, some may have stripes on the neck, head or chest, others may have spots.
The emperor (the largest) and royal species of penguins have beautiful golden spots on their heads and necks. The golden-haired penguin has beautiful long feathers on its head, and on top of the eyes, as if hanging eyebrows, unusual yellow feathers.
The diet of penguins is varied depending on the species. Some eat fish - anchovies, sardines, others eat small crustaceans. They drink sea water, releasing excess salt through the glands that are located under the penguin's eyes.
Penguins breed by hatching eggs, alternately replacing each other, that is, both males and females participate. They nest in large colonies. In order to find their partner among a huge number of penguins, females and males scream loudly and in the midst of all this chaos of voices they recognize the voice of their partner.
All members of this family swim and dive well.
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Etymology
There are three versions of the origin of the name "penguin":
body structure
The body shape of the penguins is streamlined, which is ideal for movement in the water. The musculature and structure of the bones allow them to work underwater with their wings almost like screws. Unlike other flightless birds, penguins have a sternum with a distinct keel, to which powerful muscles are attached. Swimming under water differs from flying in the air in that the same energy is expended on raising the wing as on lowering, since water resistance is greater than air resistance, therefore penguin blades have a larger surface compared to other birds, on which muscles are attached, responsible for lifting the wing. The humerus and forearm bone are connected at the elbow straight and motionless, which increases the stability of the wing. The pectoral muscles are developed and sometimes make up to 30% of the body weight, which is several times greater than the muscles of the most powerful flying birds. The femurs are very short, the knee joint is immobile, and the legs are noticeably set back, which is the reason for the unusually upright gait. Large feet with a swimming membrane are relatively short - being on land, animals often rest, standing on their heels, while the rigid tail unit serves as additional support for them. The tail of penguins is greatly shortened, since the steering function, which it usually has in other waterfowl, is performed primarily by the legs in penguins. The second clear difference between penguins and other birds is bone density. All birds have tubular bones, which makes their skeleton lighter and allows them to fly or run fast, while in penguins they are similar to the bones of mammals (dolphins and seals) and do not contain internal cavities.
Plumage
Numerous small, undifferentiated, rather hair-like feathers that make up the plumage, in almost all species of penguins, have a grayish-blue, turning into a black tint on the back, and white on the stomach. This coloration is camouflage for many marine animals. The plumage of cubs is often gray or brown, but in some species the sides and belly are white. At the end of incubation of eggs and rearing of chicks, the penguins begin to change their plumage. During molting, penguins shed a large number of feathers at the same time and during this time they are not able to swim in the water and remain without food until new feathers grow. The tail unit is rigid.
thermoregulation
Within their habitat, penguins are exposed to extreme climatic conditions and have different anatomical features that allow them to adapt to these conditions. For thermal insulation, first of all, a thick layer of fat - from 2 to 3 cm - is used, above which there are three layers of waterproof, short, tight-fitting feathers evenly distributed throughout the body. The air in the layers of feathers also effectively protects against heat loss while in the water. Penguins have a well-developed "heat transfer system" in their fins and legs: the incoming arterial blood gives off heat to the colder venous blood flowing back to the body, thus minimizing heat loss. This process is called the "reverse flow principle".
Vision and hearing
Movement
The average speed that penguins develop in the water is from five to ten kilometers per hour, but higher rates are possible over short distances. by the most fast way locomotion is "swimming like a dolphin"; at the same time, the animal jumps out of the water for a short time, like a dolphin. The reasons for this behavior are not clear: it is likely that this helps to reduce the resistance of the current, or is intended to confuse natural enemies.
During the day, while feeding, penguins can swim about 27 km, at a depth of more than 3 meters, birds spend an average of about 80 minutes a day. In diving, some penguins break records: smaller species such as the gentoo penguin ( Pygoscelis papua), can stay underwater for one or (rarely) more than two minutes and dive to depths of up to 20 meters, but emperor penguins are able to stay underwater for 18 minutes and dive to depths of more than 530 meters. Although the emperor penguin's superpowers remain little understood, it is known that when diving, the animal's pulse is reduced to one-fifth of the resting heart rate; thus, oxygen consumption is reduced, which allows you to increase the duration of being under water with the same volume of air in the lungs. The mechanism for regulating pressure and body temperature during diving to great depths remains unknown.
When out of the water, penguins can jump up to 1.8 m from the coastline. Due to their relatively short legs on land, penguins move from side to side, a method of movement that has been proven by biomechanical studies to save a lot of energy. On land, penguins develop a speed of 3-6 km / h. On ice, penguins can also move quickly - they move down from the mountains, lying on their stomachs. Some species cover so many kilometers between the sea and the place where their colony settled.
Habitat
The ancestors of penguins lived in temperate climate- when Antarctica was not yet a solid piece of ice. The climate on the planet has changed. The continents drifted, Antarctica shifted to the South Pole and was covered eternal ice. Animals left from there or died out, but the penguins, having adapted to the cold, remained. True, earlier there were much more of them - in the course of evolution, at least 40 species that inhabited our planet more than 60 million years ago died out. Among the fossil penguins were real giants (such as recently found in Peru Icadyptes salasi) the height of a person and weighing up to 120 kg.
Penguins live in the open sea of the Southern Hemisphere: in the coastal waters of Antarctica, New Zealand, southern Australia, South Africa, along the entire coast of South America from the Falkland Islands to Peru, the Galapagos Islands near the equator. Penguins prefer coolness, therefore, in tropical latitudes, they appear only with cold currents - the Humboldt Current on the west coast of South America or the Benguela Current, which occurs at the Cape of Good Hope and washes the western coast of South Africa.
Most species live between 45° and 60° south latitude; the largest accumulation of individuals is in Antarctica and on the islands adjacent to it.
The warmest habitat for penguins is the Galapagos Islands, located near the equator.
reproduction
penguins and man
The first acquaintance of a penguin and a man took place, obviously, in Australia: during archaeological excavations at the sites of ancient people, bones were found indicating that penguins were part of the diet of Australian aborigines in prehistoric times.
In Europe, penguins became known only at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries thanks to the travels of the Portuguese navigators Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan. The first known mention of these birds is contained in the diary of Vasco da Gama in an entry dated November 25, 1497, when the navigator was in the area of \u200b\u200bthe modern city of Mosselbay on the coast of South Africa. There he saw the penguins known today as the Donkey (Spheniscus demersus) and Magellanic (Spheniscus magellanicus) penguins. The donkey penguin is the first of the species to receive a scientific description, the Latin name of the family and order is derived from it - it is used by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in his work "The System of Nature" (Systema Naturae) in 1758. Almost all other species were discovered only at the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century, when the territories of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans were explored.
Penguins are very curious birds and are almost fearless on land. Unlike tamed animals, which have ceased to be afraid of humans only due to frequent contact with them, most penguins do not naturally fear humans. According to many who have been to Antarctica, the birds mistook them for penguins, albeit a little strange, although there is no way to give scientific confirmation of whether this is true.
penguins in zoos
In Central Europe and Russia, penguins can only be found in zoos, some of which organize the so-called "penguin marches" - birds are released from enclosures and, under the supervision of a caretaker, they take a short walk around the enclosure. Penguin marches are organized by the zoos of Munster, Munich, Edinburgh and others.
Penguins in art, sports and technology
- Cartoon "Chilli Willy" 1953.
- Anatole France, satirical novel "Penguin Island" ("L'Île des Pingouins",).
- Ivan Bunin, story "Penguins" (1929).
- In 1986-87, the Soviet-Japanese three-part cartoon "Adventures penguin Lolo" was filmed.
- The book of L. Semenov-Spassky "Penguin Pinya".
- The NHL has the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club, while the AHL has its farm club the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
- Penguin Tux is a symbol of Linux.
- Penguin Pin - the hero of the cartoon "Smeshariki".
- In the Toy Story cartoon series, a toy penguin, Wheezy, appears.
- In 2005, the film about the King penguins - La Marche de l'empereur - and the cartoon "Madagascar" with the participation of a "squad" of penguins saw the light.
- In 2006, an animated musical melodrama by the famous Australian director George Miller was released Happy Feet.
- In 2007, a full-length cartoon about penguins, Catch the Wave! "("Surf's up"). Directed by Ash Brannon, Chris Buck.
- In 2008, the full-length sequel Madagascar 2: Escape from Madagascar and the series Penguins of Madagascar were released.
- In 2011, the film "Mr. Popper's Penguins" with Jim Carrey was released.
- On November 17, 2011, the continuation of the melodrama by the Australian director George Miller "Keep your feet 2" (Eng. Happy Feet Two) was released.
- In 2014, the full-length cartoon "Penguins of Madagascar" was released.
Penguins in heraldry
As a symbolism in Antarctica, the image of penguins is second only to the image
Penguins spend most of their lives in the water. They are noisy, charming, elegant and funny animals. These unique birds really unusual story. Forgetting about their terrestrial ancestors, the penguins conquered the ocean. Their body changed and they were able to swim without fear of water and cold. Now these animals are more like fish than birds. They have a beak, like flying, but the body is covered with a thick hairy cover. The sea and cold became the catalyst for the evolutionary changes that the penguin ancestors went through. As a result, a stunning bird was born that can live in the ocean, enduring unimaginably low temperatures.
(Pygoscelis antarctica). Height 60 cm Weight 4.5 kg |
(Pygoscelis papua). Height up to 90 cm Weight 7-9 kg |
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(Eudyptes chrysocome) Height 58 cm Weight 2-3 kg |
(Aptenodytes forsteri) Height 122 cm weight 22-45 kg |
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The penguin kingdom used to be more diverse than it is today. From fossils, scientists have determined that there used to be more than 30 species from 21 genera. Today, after many climatic changes, only 17 species and 6 genera remain. All species live in the southern hemisphere along the coasts and on the islands of Antarctica. And only the Galapagos penguins dared to reach Ecuador, but even there they survive thanks to the cold streams of the Peruvian current. These flightless birds thrive in conditions where no other bird will live a day. Among the eternal snows and ices, in a terrible frost, they find food, mate, and hatch chicks. They are excellent swimmers and divers, they can reach depths of more than 100 m and “float” three dozen kilometers in a day. Penguins live in colonies, in which several hundred thousand individuals often gather, collectively go hunting, and return with it. They feed on fish, squid, krill.
Their bodies are ideally adapted to the water element. First of all, it is necessary to note their wedge-shaped, hydrodynamic body and short legs located behind, like in animals capable of walking upright, 4 fingers are connected by swimming membranes. Penguins are the only plantigrade birds. They walk on their soles, while the rest of the birds rely on their fingers.
One of the most important evolutionary changes is the large, flat, muscular wings leading to well-developed pectoral muscles. Penguins move through the water like fish thanks to a pair of moving fins. The head of the penguin has also changed. With the help of glands between the eyes and the beak, excess salt is released, which they absorb in the ocean.
Despite excellent adaptation to marine life, there are two stages in the life of penguins when it is necessary to return to solid ground - molting and reproduction of offspring.
Penguins need solid ground to reproduce. The eggs and chicks will not survive the harsh ocean conditions. And here the problems begin for young males. By the mating season, more experienced males occupy the nests built last year, but someone has to start new construction.
All penguins are monogamous and only the death of one of the partners can destroy the pair. But not all species reproduce in the same way. The gentoo penguins return to where they used to nest, while the chinstrap penguins take on other tasks. The males arrive before the females and take their places. Chinstrap penguin uses only a dozen rocks and waste to build a nest hard materials. And everything would be fine, because females are not particularly demanding, and males do not like to work. But when the neighbors do not have enough stones for construction, problems begin. Being bad "architects", chinstrap penguins also steal stones from each other.
Unlike their relatives, gentoo penguins are excellent builders. They use up to two thousand stones to protect the nest from the wind. And no penguin will ever steal someone else's stone. This doesn't mean they shouldn't be worried. Gulls, petrels and especially skuas are the main threat to penguin nests. Any egg or chick left unattended can be stolen in a matter of seconds.
penguin feathers
The body of the penguin is covered with special feathers that repel water and maintain the desired temperature. Under the feathers, a layer of warm air increases the insulation. To prevent this layer from losing its properties, the penguin lubricates the body with water-repellent oil, which is contained in a special gland near the tail.
Feathers of penguins are the most difficult adaptive change of these birds. They form a kind of "loop", so the body becomes completely isolated. Such a waterproof coat, while remaining soft, protects against cold and wind, even when its speed reaches 100 km / h. Under such harsh conditions, feather loss can be fatal. But the penguins follow a unique strategy. Each new feather grows from the shell of the previous one, so when the old one falls off, it is replaced by a new one. So the penguin protects the body at low temperatures.
Molting penguins
During molting, penguins lose their waterproofing and are forced to remain on the ground. At the same time, their appearance becomes depressing. In order not to lose all the insulation at once, molting occurs in separate sections. This is the most critical moment of the year. During molting, the bird spends twice as much energy. Because of the damaged insulation, it takes more effort to warm up and grow new feathers. The situation is aggravated by the fact that they cannot enter the water and get food. You have to eat fat reserves, as a result, penguins lose up to 45% of their body weight during molting. In addition, they experience severe itching.
Emperor penguin males reach a height of 160 cm and weigh an average of 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 60 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 28-32 kg in weight.
As a sea bird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively at sea. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. They hunt in groups. These groups swim right into the school of fish and quickly attack prey in it, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey right in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to butcher it. When hunting, they overcome long distances and reach speeds of up to 3-6 km / h and depths of up to 35 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is sight, not hearing or echo sounder.
Emperor penguin colonies are found in natural hiding places: behind cliffs and large ice floes with obligatory presence areas of open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Often emperor penguins move lying on their belly, working with their paws and wings. In order to keep warm, they gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of -20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back, so that everyone is on an equal footing. About two months a year they spend at sea, the rest of the time is spent on procreation. The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even shy bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when a potential danger approached, such a panic began that the penguins scattered, throwing eggs and chicks.
Emperor penguins begin to breed in winter, in May - June, when the temperature in their habitats drops below -50 ° C, and the wind blows at speeds up to 200 km / h. This is due to the fact that emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Emperor penguin nesting colonies are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. The colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, having protection from the winds blowing at this time of the year from the middle of the mainland, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open polynyas, crevasses, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed the chicks. In severe frosts, penguins huddle in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting area.
Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on the nesting grounds at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March-mid-April). Here the birds unite in pairs, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. The maximum colony size is 10 thousand birds, the minimum is 300 birds.
Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, gather in groups at night, forming a "turtle". In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, with the help of her beak rolls it onto her paws and covers it from above with a skin fold on the underside of the belly, which is called the pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud cries of the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; the average egg temperature is 31.4°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having starved for 45-50 days, goes to feed at sea. Males, on the other hand, with any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps to save the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of eggs is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.
The females return from feeding and at the same time the chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her husband by voice. Males, having starved for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds him with "milk" - a special juice that produces the penguin's stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat, about 60% protein. On this food, the chick can hold out for several days. Females feed the chicks for about three weeks on semi-digested food, gruel from krill and fish, stocked up on a journey by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, the emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the bag and go to the so-called "kindergartens", where they spend time huddled tightly to each other. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only him. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The nestling feeding period ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit still and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adults and young birds go to sea until next spring.
Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years. The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes, it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become the prey of skuas or giant petrels. It is from the latter that the greatest danger comes, since it is the cause of the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. For adults, these birds are not dangerous.
king penguin
king penguin
(Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Breeds on islands near Tierra del Fuego: South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, Marion, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen (island), Heard, Macquarie (island) Macquarie.
The body length of the king penguin is from 91 to 96 cm.
King penguins nest in colonies on hard surfaces, mostly rocks. The male, ready to breed, walks through the colony, shaking his head so that the females can see the orange spots on his head, indicating puberty. From time to time, the male utters invocative cries while raising his beak to the sky. An interested female approaches the male. Sometimes there are fierce fights for females during which males violently beat each other with wings. When the female makes her choice, beautiful dance. The penguins either raise their heads to the sky and at the same time scream, then drop them, as if in impotence. The birds gently touch each other with their beaks and put their heads on the partner's shoulders and from the outside it looks like the penguins are embracing. When the dance ends, the female lies down on the ground, assuming an inviting posture. The male climbs on her back and the birds mate. Mating lasts approximately 4-6 seconds, after which the male moves out of the female. The dance and mating are repeated many times.
Eggs are laid in December-January, with one egg per clutch. The female lays an egg on her paws and covers it with a fold on her belly. Then the male joins in incubation. The duration of incubation is 54 days. characteristic feature breeding of king penguins is that chicks survive mainly from eggs laid in November and December. The remaining chicks, from later clutches, do not have time to grow up and die in winter. Adult birds whose chicks have died start laying eggs earlier next time. At the same time, birds whose chicks have successfully grown the next time they start laying eggs later, and their next chicks do not survive.
Rockhopper Penguin
Western Rockhopper Penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)
It lives on the rocky islands of the subantarctic region, but is sometimes found further north, on the southern tip of Africa and South America, as well as on the southern coast of New Zealand.
Reaches 45-58 cm in height, weight 2-3 kg.
Breeds in extensive colonies on the barren and very harsh islands of Tristan da Cunha and Heard Island. These penguins are very noisy and have an evil disposition, attacking anyone and everything that threatens them. Arranges nests on ledges of rocks, coastal slopes, often digs holes. Clutch contains 2-3 eggs. In a noisy and crowded colony, the small first egg is usually lost in quarrels with neighbors. The chicks gather in the nursery, but return to the nest when the parents call them to feed them. Chicks grow up quickly and at the age of 10 weeks are ready to go to sea.
Feeds on krill.
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
(Eudyptes moseleyi)
Over 99% of these penguins nest on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Feeds on krill, crustaceans, squid, octopus and fish.
It breeds in large nesting colonies. These colonies can be located both near the sea and on steep slopes. Sometimes nests in the depths of the islands.
Thick-billed penguin
Fiordland Penguin
(Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
It lives on the Stewart and Solander Islands adjacent to the south of New Zealand, as well as in New Zealand itself on the southwestern coast of the South Island.
Body length 55-60 cm with a weight of 2 to 5 kg (average - 3 kg).
They forage for food in coastal waters, feeding on crustaceans, cephalopods and small fish. During the breeding season they migrate from the coast, some nests can be located at an altitude of 100 m above sea level. In winter, penguins are in the ocean and live alone. In July - migrate to nesting sites. In the daytime, penguins hide in dense vegetation, rocky ledges, being active only at dusk and at night.
In colonies, pairs are located at a distance from each other. They do not nest in open places; rocky ledges, fallen trees, and burrows are preferred for nesting. Males return to breeding grounds in July, usually two weeks before females. The nest is built from small twigs. Females usually lay two pale green eggs. Hatching of eggs lasts 4-6 weeks. As a rule, most often one egg dies, but if both survive, then the parents are not able to feed two chicks, and the weaker chick dies. Of the two chicks, the one that hatches from the larger egg usually survives. From a smaller egg, often not a single chick hatches, or dies a few days after birth. The first 2-3 weeks, after the chick hatches, the male stays near the nest and guards it, while the female searches for and obtains food. Two weeks later, both parents go to feed at sea, leaving the chick on the shore as part of a group of young. At the age of 75 days, the chicks molt and are already able to swim in the sea.
Crested Snar penguin
Snares Penguin
(Eudyptes robustus)
It is endemic to the small archipelago of the Snare Islands, with an area of about 3.3 km², this is the smallest range among all penguin species. However, about 30 thousand pairs live in this territory. Despite the fact that human impact on the archipelago is minimal, there are no terrestrial predators, and shrubs and trees grow densely on the islands, the danger status for the species is relatively favorable.
It has medium dimensions: height is about 55 cm and weight is about 4 kg.
The basis of nutrition is krill (about 60%). The rest of the diet consists of small squid and fish.
Breeds in colonies from several dozen pairs to a thousand or more. Nests are built both in forests and in open spaces. From the age of 5-6, the female lays two eggs, which alternately incubate with the male for 32-35 days. In most cases, one of the chicks dies. Surviving penguins at the age of 2.5 months go to feed in the ocean on a par with adults. Life expectancy - 15-20 years.
For adult penguins on the high seas, the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) poses the greatest danger. Eggs and chicks are endangered on land by various birds.
Penguin Schlegel
Royal Penguin
(Eudyptes schlegeli)
It lives on the barren, desert island of Macquarie, located in the Pacific Ocean in close proximity to the Antarctic belt. On the island, penguins usually form colonies of up to 500 thousand individuals, but sometimes small colonies of up to 200 pairs are also found. In total, the number of penguins is estimated at 2-2.5 million birds.
Adults reach a height of 70 cm and a weight of about 6 kg.
This type of penguin breeds only on Macquarie Island. However, adult penguins spend most of their time in the ocean far from the island, where they feed on krill, small fish, and zooplankton.
The female usually lays two eggs, with an incubation period of about 35 days.
Big crested penguin
Erect-crested Penguin
(Eudyptes sclateri)
Breeds in New Zealand's Bounty Islands and the Antipode Islands.
This is an average penguin with a body length of 63-65 cm, weighing about 2.7-3.5 kg. Females are significantly inferior in size to males. In adults, the color of the head of the upper part of the neck and cheeks is black. On the front part above the eyes there is a wide yellow cruciform stripe. The top of the body is black with a blue tint; the bottom is white. The wing-fin is painted black and blue along the edge - a white border, the bottom of the wing-fin is white; its end is dark from the inside. The beak is long and thin brownish-orange. Grayish-brown chicks are white below. Grown up chicks are somewhat different from adults, the main difference is the yellow cross on the head is smaller than in adults.
It breeds in large colonies. Males usually return to nesting sites two weeks before females. The beginning of the mating season is marked by extraordinary activity, including fights. Nesting is arranged on a flat area of rocks no higher than 70 m above sea level. The female builds the nest by herself, raking out debris from under it with her paws. The male lays out the nest with stones, mud and grass. Eggs are laid in early October, laying lasts three to five days, during which time the female does not eat anything. There are two eggs in the clutch, the second egg is larger than the first. The eggs are light blue or greenish in color, but later they turn brown. From the moment when the second egg is laid, incubation begins, which lasts 35 days. The first egg usually does not survive, so penguins only incubate one egg. They take turns incubating: two or three days after the eggs are laid, the female leaves the nest, and the male remains on guard. This lasts three to four weeks, all this time the penguin fasts. The female returns to the chicks during the day to feed them by regurgitating food. In February, the chicks have already fledged and leave the islands where they were born.
Golden-haired penguin
Macaroni Penguin
(Eudyptes chrysolophus)
Widely distributed in colonies in southern Chile, Tierra del Fuego, the Falklands, the islands of the South Atlantic and east to Kerguelen and Heard. Golden-haired penguins are also found in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula. In total, over 200 breeding sites are known.
Adult golden-haired penguins are 50-70 cm tall and weigh just over 5 kg.
Their colonies are very numerous - up to 600 thousand nesting individuals. They nest on the ground, making very primitive nests. 2 eggs are laid. The duration of incubation is 35 days, with changes of parents characteristic of penguins.
little penguin
Little Penguin
(Eudyptula minor)
The habitat of little penguins is the coast of South Australia and New Zealand, as well as nearby islands. The population is estimated at about 1 million pairs.
Growth ranges from 30-33 cm, and weight is about 1 kg.
Feeds on small fish (10-35 mm), cephalopods, including octopuses, less often crustaceans. Penguins find their food in the upper layers of the sea, diving no deeper than 5 m from the surface, but if necessary, they can dive to a depth of 30 m, and the recorded dive record was 69 m. Young penguins usually feed singly, each by itself. It feeds throughout the day - from sunrise to sunset, but its hunting is not always successful. Compared to other species, it is distinguished by a slow metabolism.
The little penguin is a social bird and is considered the most nocturnal of the other species. During the day it hunts or sleeps in the nest. Penguins settle in colonies in which birds of all ages live. Among them, small groups are formed, which, at the end of the daytime feeding, go ashore, line up in a “parade” and give concerts, after which the penguins disperse to their sites.
It breeds on islands near the coasts, as well as in some wild corners of the South Australian coast. This occurs in August-December, most clutches are made in August-November. The male and female mate close to the nest, which is located in a cave or crevice. In most cases, the female lays 1-2 white eggs with a difference of 3-5 days. Incubation begins from the moment the first egg is laid, but the female can leave, and only with the appearance of the second egg do both partners sit on the clutch, replacing each other every few days. Incubation lasts about 36 days, their chicks weigh 40 g. They are fed for the first 10 days of life, and then for another 1-3 weeks the parents protect them, replacing each other. At the age of 3-4 weeks, the chicks are looked after only at night, and later their parents feed them once a day, visiting at night. Fledged chicks reach 90% of the weight of adult birds and leave the nest for 2-3 days, and then leave altogether. Both sexes of penguins reach sexual maturity at 3 years. From December to March, penguins molt, during which they stick together. Molting occurs immediately after the end of the breeding season and lasts 10-18 days.
white-winged penguin
White-flippered Penguin
(Eudyptula albosignata)
Breeds only on Banks Peninsula and Motunau Island. Both nesting sites are located near the city of Christchurch, this is the South Island of New Zealand.
Reaches a length of 30 cm, with a mass of 1.5 kg.
Unlike other penguins, white-winged penguins are mostly nocturnal animals. During the day they sleep in burrows on the shore, but with the onset of darkness they go to sea in order to return to the shore before dawn. However, on the Banks Peninsula, they crawl out of their holes during the day, but do not go to sea. By evening, these penguins gather in groups in the sea near the coast and wait for it to get dark. Only then can they safely go to sea. The whole group goes to sea at the same time.
Egg laying occurs from July to December, but most of eggs are laid from August to November. The female always lays her egg in a hole dug under a tree and arranged almost like a nest. However, a penguin may also dig its nesting hole in a grassy slope or even in a sand dune. Incubation lasts from 33 to 39 days. The chicks fledge and are ready to go to sea 50-65 days after they hatch.
Magnificent penguin
Yellow-eyed Penguin
(Megadyptes antipodes)
The main habitat is the islands from the south South Island to the Campbell Archipelago (New Zealand). Also, some specimens reach the Bounty and Antipodes Islands in the east and Macquarie Island in the south. The climate of the habitats of the penguin is temperate, it nests in native plants, not far from the ocean.
The growth of adult birds reaches 70-75 cm, weight - about 6-7 kg.
The magnificent penguin swims and dives well, but sea lions and sharks pose a danger to him at sea. An even greater threat is animals that are unusual for its places and introduced by man: rats, pigs, etc.
These birds do not form colonies and usually nest in separate pairs. Young penguins (at the age of 3 years) lay 1 egg each, older ones almost always lay 2 eggs. The duration of incubation in a magnificent penguin is 4 weeks. Sexual maturity of birds occurs, apparently, at the 4-5th year of life. Life expectancy - usually 10-12 years, in captivity, some specimens live up to 20 years.
Adelie Penguin
Adelie Penguin
(Pygoscelis adeliae)
It breeds on the coast of Antarctica and the islands closest to the mainland: South Shetland and Orkney. Representatives of the species are extremely rare north of 60 ° south latitude. From March to October, the Adélie penguin wanders in the ocean, moving away from nesting sites by 600-700 km. The main food of Adélie penguins is krill.
Body length about 70 cm, weight about 6 kg.
These penguins raise their chicks in the polar summer on the islands adjacent to Antarctica. All winter they swim among the ice floes 700 km from the nesting site. Having survived the polar night, the penguins go to nesting sites. There the birds build their nests out of small pebbles. Partners, replacing each other, incubate eggs, alternately feeding in the sea. At the beginning of the nesting season, Adélie penguins migrate from roaming areas to nesting areas within a month. At the end of the polar night (early October), the birds appear in the nesting areas. The air temperature at this time is kept at -40 ° C, and the average monthly wind speed reaches 60-70 km / h. Moving to nesting sites, birds go in groups from several tens to several thousand individuals, in a string or crawl on their belly at an average speed of about 4-6 km / h. Each pair occupies its last year's nesting site and begins to build a nest.
The nesting area of the Adélie penguin is a round area with a radius of 60-80 cm, which the birds remember and fiercely protect it from their neighbors. Depending on the age and "experience" of the birds, their nests are different. For some, it's just a few pebbles, for others it's a few hundred pebbles, stacked in a kind of "bowl". Adélie penguin nest building is accompanied by a lot of noise, because the neighbors are constantly stealing stones from each other. It often happens that some penguins trade themselves for an extra nest stone.
During this period, the birds do not eat anything, even if there is open water. From the first half of November to mid-December, Adele lay eggs and begin to incubate them. During this period, the colony is quiet. Each pair sits within its territory and protects it from other penguins. There are usually two eggs in the clutch, which are laid with a break of 1-5 days. During this period, the snow begins to melt, and the force of the wind subsides a little. Immediately after laying the second egg, the females go to sea to feed after a month-long hunger strike. Males remain to incubate eggs and starve for another 2-2.5 weeks. By this time, the females return and replace the males on the nest. Males return from feeding after 3-12 days. Again on the nest there is a change of partners.
The chicks hatch in the most favorable period, when the snow has melted in some places and the sun is shining. At first, they hide under their parents, then they stand at the nest, hiding with their parents only during snowstorms. Gradually maturing chicks move away from their nests and form groups of 3-4 chicks. Then the number of birds in the group reaches 10-20 individuals.
IN bad weather the chicks huddle together but usually stand loose. Parents returning with food unmistakably find their chicks in groups, and, as a rule, drive away strangers. As soon as the molting of the chicks is completed, they mix with adult birds. In mid-February-late March, Adeles leave their nesting sites. Young birds are the first to swim to the open sea. Adult birds molt on the rocks for about two weeks, during this period they also starve, because they cannot be in the water, then, at the end of the molt, they also swim into the sea until next spring.
Antarctic penguin
Chinstrap Penguin
(Pygoscelis antarcticus)
The habitat of this species is the coast of Antarctica from the side of the American continents and adjacent islands, to the north it is distributed to South Georgia, Bouvet and Balleny. Swims to the Falkland Islands. Penguins are also found on icebergs in Antarctica. The number of individuals is estimated at 6.5-7.5 million pairs.
Adult chinstrap penguins reach a height of 60-70 cm and weigh about 4.5 kg.
Penguins build nests among stones, male and female alternately incubate 1-2 eggs for 5-10 days for 35 days. Unlike other species, they feed their both chicks. At the age of 50-60 days, the young are already beginning to go to sea. adult chinstrap penguins excellent swimmers and divers, they can reach depths of up to 250 m. The basis of food is krill, sometimes small fish. Chinstrap penguins can travel up to 1,000 km from their nesting sites at sea.
These penguins are quite aggressive. There are known cases of these birds attacking people approaching the colony.
subantarctic penguin
Gentoo Penguin
(Pygoscelis papua)
Range - subantarctic islands. The species is widely distributed in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Kerguelen Archipelago. Also, the subantarctic penguin breeds on Macquarie, Heard and McDonald Islands, the north of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands.
Males reach a weight of 9 kg, and females - 7.5 kg, the growth of adults is 75-90 cm. Under water they reach a speed of 36 km / h, which makes them the fastest of all penguins. The diving depth can reach 200 m.
They feed on krill, less often on small fish. natural enemies species are killer whales, sea lions and leopards. Seabirds do not pose a threat to adults, but threaten eggs and chicks.
Nests are built among tufts of soddy grass. The female usually lays 2 eggs; both parents incubate the clutch for an average of 34 days, changing after a few days. After 14 weeks, the chicks begin to go to sea.
spectacled penguin
African Penguin
(Spheniscus demersus)
Distribution area - the coast of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of the cold Benguela Current. Lives in colonies. Today the population is estimated at 140-180 thousand individuals.
It reaches 65-70 cm in height and weighs 3-5 kg.
Penguins in the water can reach speeds of up to 20 km / h, dive deeper than 100 m and hold their breath for 2-3 minutes. During feeding they can swim 70-120 km in the ocean. They feed mainly on small fish (fry of herring, anchovies, sardines, etc.). The main enemies are sharks, gulls (for chicks), fur seals (as a competitor for prey and as a predator) and feral cats (for chicks and eggs in some colonies).
The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. The penguin lives for 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth to offspring at 4-5 years. The clutch consists of 2 eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tinge. The breeding season is not clearly defined, it varies depending on the place.
Galapagos penguin
Galapagos Penguin
(Spheniscus mendiculus)
The Galapagos penguin is unique among other penguins in that the range is not the Antarctic and subantarctic regions, not even temperate, but the Galapagos Islands located just a few tens of kilometers from the equator. The air temperature in habitats ranges from +18-+28°C, water - +22-+24°C. About 90% of penguins live on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela. The number of individuals is estimated at 1500-2000 adult birds.
Adults reach a height of about 50 cm and a weight of about 2.5 kg.
The main diet is small fish, crustaceans. Birds usually incubate eggs for 38-40 days, male and female alternately. At the age of 60-65 days, the chicks go to sea with adults. Galapagos penguins nest near the water.
Penguin Humboldt
Humboldt Penguin
(Spheniscus humboldti)
It breeds on the rocky coasts of Chile and Peru, where the cold Peruvian current passes.
Reaches a height of 55-56 cm, with a weight of 5 kg.
Magellanic penguin
Magellanic Penguin
(Spheniscus magellanicus)
The main nesting area is the Patagonian coast, Tierra del Fuego, the Juan Fernandez Islands and the Falklands. Individuals have been seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro and southern Peru. It also inhabits the coasts of South America north of Coquimbo (Chile) and Rio de Janeiro. The number is estimated at about 1.8 million pairs.
Adults reach a height of 70-80 cm and a weight of 5-6 kg.
Life expectancy - about 15 years, less often - up to 20 years, in captivity it is possible to live up to 20-25 years. Magellanic penguins feed on krill, cuttlefish and small fish. Nests are arranged in burrows that are dug in soft ground. Both parents incubate the egg - about 40 days. The family alternately usually incubates 1-2 eggs.
Every detail is important. What do penguins eat, where do they live, how do they breed. In answering each question, the truth will be revealed - is the penguin a bird or not?
Where do penguins live now, where did their ancestors live?
In most cases, the ancestors of any animals lived in the same place as their modern descendants. In the case of penguins, this rule does not work.
Penguins live almost all in Antarctica, only a small part of them in the southern coastal waters of New Zealand, in the very south of Australia and Africa, on the coast and islands of South America.
But the most ancient fossil remains of penguins were found, oddly enough, not in Antarctica, but in central Peru and in the heart of New Zealand. Just the Peruvian remains of the ancestor of penguins help answer the question: is the penguin a bird or not?
The wing bones of the Peruvian giant penguin are flatter and expanded like those of a bird. This skeletal feature is the only evidence that penguin ancestors may have been flying.
It remains to be hoped that someday even more ancient remains of penguins will be found with details of the wing structure characteristic of birds.
There is a scientific assumption that the ancestor of penguins is related to the great auk, a completely extinct bird species two centuries ago. This hypothesis, if it is correct, will greatly help to answer in the affirmative the question of whether the penguin is a bird or not, because the auk looked very much like a penguin in appearance.
Discovered by man on isolated islands in the Atlantic Ocean, these birds were already extremely few in number and are now recognized as a completely extinct species.
Most likely, according to ornithologists, auks could not endure powerful natural disasters and died out. And the penguins, their relatives, managed to survive.
There are some other fossil finds that (until fully proven) suggest a relationship between penguins and cormorants. A bird with the same long and sharp beak as that of a cormorant, with a curved neck and sharp long wings - this is another alleged ancestor of the penguin.
Features of the structure of the body of a penguin
To find evidence that a penguin is a bird, you need to look for similar external features. Take, for example, the wing: despite the fact that the muscles of the penguins on the wing are much better developed than those of birds, and the penguin wing works like a screw when moving, and does not swing (like in birds), visually it is still a wing , not paw.
The legs of the penguin in relation to the body are strongly shifted back, like in most birds.
Now about feathers: yes, for those who have never seen a penguin up close, it is hard to believe that its cover is feathers, and not short hair, as it seems from afar.
The feathers of penguins are so thin that they really look like wool. When you zoom in, you can see that these are feathers. Penguin feathers, like all birds, have a keratin core to which down is attached.
Additional evidence that the penguin is a bird is that the feathers on the wings and on the tail of the penguin are stiffer, as expected.
Reproduction of penguins, nursing offspring
Penguins lay eggs and hatch them. And before laying, penguins build the most banal nest. Weave it from grass and strengthen it with small pebbles.
Penguins are surprisingly consistent with each other in terms of egg laying. There can be up to a million birds in a colony, and females lay eggs almost simultaneously.
It is very interesting to take care of your kids. In this regard, they are unique in the animal world. Only at the very beginning, babies are nursed by their parents, sometimes only by one. The second is foraging.)
But when the chicks grow up, they fall into the so-called kindergarten– in a large group where other adult penguins look after them.
These "kindergartens" may not be very large - a few dozen chicks under the supervision of a pair of adult penguins, like in Antarctica. Or reaching up to a thousand, like Adélie penguins.
Adélie is the most numerous species of penguins, named by the French ornithologist who first discovered them, in honor of his wife.
Baby penguins, although they are left unattended by their parents, still want to eat and are very voracious. Very small ones eat half a kilo of food, and grown up more than a kilogram.
All day long, parents get food and carry it to the “kindergarten”, feeding both their own and others indiscriminately. And at night, the chicks hide under the wings of their parents like typical birds.
What do penguins eat
Food penguins are the inhabitants of the oceans. These are fish, plankton, krill, crayfish and crabs. But still, the main food of penguins has always been fish, for which some adult penguins make more than 150 dives into the water per day.
That penguin food only lives in water, makes them starve during the molting season. Until the penguin sheds old feathers and grows new ones, it will not enter the water, and it happens that penguins lose half their weight for molting.
Almost all kinds of penguins drink water, only salty, oceanic, even if there are nearby sources of fresh water.
How long do penguins live, their enemies in nature
Enemies of the penguin in nature are skuas, sea lions and fur seals. Penguins are incredibly brave in protecting themselves and their offspring. If they fight off enemies, they use their beak and wings to protect themselves, like typical birds. Here is another answer to the question - is a penguin a bird or not, because he behaves, defending himself, just like a bird!
Another terrible enemy of penguins is seagulls. It is they who make ruthless raids on penguin colonies and steal eggs during the laying period.
In those places where penguins lived in isolation, but suddenly turned out to be human neighbors, they had additional enemies - dogs and cats brought by people.
The fact that almost all the enemies of penguins live in the water, gave rise to a real paradox: penguins, excellent divers and swimmers, are terribly afraid of water!
There is even such scientific term- Penguin effect. In fear, they slowly approach the water, trample, not daring to swim. Then the bravest one dives, and the others follow.
As for the age of penguins, at the beginning of their life there is little chance of growing up to a year. Only half of the chicks survive to this age.
In addition to seals and sea lions, seals cause great damage to the growing penguin offspring. They tend to live close to the colonies. Killer whales and sharks attack young penguins who are not yet as fast and agile as their parents. Surviving penguins reach 25 years of age or more.
The relationship between penguins and humans
It is proved that the intelligence of penguins is very high. They can "sacrifice" a fellow, pushing him off the ice floe and distracting him to the unfortunate killer whale. There are cases when in the zoo single males stole eggs from married couples of their relatives, putting similar stones instead of them.
And there is a version that the penguins, when they first saw people, mistook them for "theirs", also upright birds, only larger and with different feathers!
Penguins really are not afraid of people so far, they have not gotten used to the fact that a person is one of their enemies. Valuable penguin fat and meat. Entire colonies are destroyed because of them.
In fact, the dilemma of whether a penguin is a bird or a warm-blooded animal is not as important as whether these creatures will be exterminated.
Watch an interesting video about penguins.
