The Characteristics of Penguins
- Penguins are flightless birds.
Penguins have wings for swimming. Wings are like fins for a penguin. Feathers contain a lot of air, which helps them swim faster in the water. Not only that, penguins use their wings to attack. Wide and flat wings can hit the target and inflict great wounds. Penguin wings have a variety of functions (Fremont, 2017).
- Penguins can swim in the cold.
Penguins are animals better adapted to water than land. They can’t fly, but they can swim. Penguins can swim in cold temperatures of -30 to -40 degrees Celsius because of their feathers. Penguin feathers are the same size on the left and right and have a thin and delicate structure. For this reason, there are no spaces in the feathers for water to permeate. In addition, feathers contain a lot of oil, so penguins can easily brush off the water. Therefore, penguins can move without freezing even if they enter the water (Fremont, 2017).
- Penguins co-parent.
Penguins build nests on land and give birth to their offspring. Land predators are scarce in Antarctica, so they can raise their young on the ground. There are thousands of penguins at the egg-laying site because penguins migrate to the same location to lay their eggs in the spring. Males and females take turns incubating the eggs. They emerge from the egg and take turns raising the young until they are fully grown (Fremont, 2017).
Why are there no penguins at the north pole?
Penguins live not only in Antarctica but also in Australia and on the African continent. The temperature does not affect the penguin’s habitat. The heat may be difficult for the king and emperor penguins, which are adapted to the cold Antarctic environment. However, Galapagos and African penguins are well adapted to higher temperatures than Antarctica and can theoretically migrate north. Some penguins cannot move fast from land and have difficulty traveling north. The African continent has a large number of predators that pose a threat to penguins, so movement is restricted. Antarctic penguins are less threatened by predators because they can live on the ice. In Antarctica, they can have babies and live peacefully without the threat of predators or humans. Humans used guano and penguin droppings as fertilizer and threatened penguins for oil. All of these things come together to tell us why penguins live in the southern hemisphere. The Galapagos is difficult to move due to its geographic location, and land predators living in the north would pose a major threat to migratory penguins (Platt, 2019).
What types of animals live in Antarctica?
Antarctica has far fewer animals and plants than other continents. Antarctica is mostly covered with ice. A wide variety of animals live in Antarctica, even in such harsh conditions (Campbell, 2022), some of which are:
- Adelie penguins
- Chinstrap penguins
- Leopard seals
- Elephant seals
- Snow petrels
- King penguins
- Emperor penguins
- Killer whales
Why are polar bears only found in the Arctic?
Antarctica and the Arctic are home to a wide variety of penguin, seal, and whale species. Polar bears live only in the Arctic. Their fur is suitable for temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. Polar bears are terrestrial carnivores. However, they live mostly on sea ice and occasionally come ashore to give birth. To move their habitat to Antarctica, they must cross a dangerous strait (Wendel, 2022).
Why are penguins endangered?
Penguins are threatened by climate change, human hunting, oil spills, and disease. Among the diverse penguin species, there are five endangered penguin species (Symmons, 2022).
- Yellow-eyed penguins
Yellow-eyed penguins live in New Zealand. They are hunted to death or threatened by human fishing, leaving them with less food to eat. Yellow-eyed penguins are also threatened by invasive predators such as ferrets, feral dogs, and feral cats on land. Fire and disease are other reasons why they are endangered (Symmons, 2022).
- Galapagos penguins
There are only 12 million Galapagos penguins left in the world. They are affected by fishing and threatened by invasive animals such as rats, cats, dogs, and mosquitoes. Galapagos penguins are also threatened by ENSO. ENSO is a natural phenomenon and affects sea conditions and penguin food. Climate change will have a more serious impact on penguin survival (Symmons, 2022).
- Erect-crested penguins
Erect-crested penguins living in New Zealand are endangered due to climate change and food shortages (Symmons, 2022).
- African penguins
African penguins are penguins preserved by the reserve. Human poaching has pushed African penguins to the brink of extinction. And human fishing, which has depleted fish, poses a new threat to them (Symmons, 2022).
- Northern rockhopper penguins
Northern rockhopper penguins are dwindling in numbers as humans hunt them to save the guano. They are also threatened because they compete with fur seals for food and habitat and are highly vulnerable to viruses (Symmons, 2022).
Conclusion
Penguins are now critically endangered. Thanks to international efforts to save penguins, they haven’t gone extinct yet. International bodies have controlled human activity so that it cannot threaten the penguins. Penguins are threatened by climate change, invasive predators, and disease, but human impacts have pushed them to the brink of extinction. Protecting penguins is the same as protecting the marine environment. The ocean has a great impact on many lives. Marine pollution can wreak havoc on the penguins that live and feed in the sea. In addition, intensifying global warming will create abnormal climates, affecting Antarctica and the penguin’s habitat. The most powerful and urgent action to prevent penguin extinction is to prevent global warming. If individuals practiced abstaining from plastic supplies and reducing plastic litter, they could provide better habitats for penguins (Symmons, 2022).
References
Fremont, L. (2017). What Are a Penguin’s Physical Features? [online] animals.mom.com. Available at: https://animals.mom.com/what-are-a-penguins-physical-features-12523649.html [Accessed 16 December 2022].
Platt, J. (2019). Why Are There No Penguins In The North Pole? | Penguins International. [online] penguins international. Available at: https://www.penguinsinternational.org/2019/07/16/why-are-there-no-penguins-in-the-north-pole/ [Accessed 16 December 2022].
Symmons, J. (2022). How Many Penguins Are Left? Why Are They Endangered? [online] Polar Guidebook. Available at: https://polarguidebook.com/why-are-penguins-endangered/ [Accessed 16 December 2022].
Wendel, J. (2022). Why aren’t there polar bears in Antarctica? [online] livescience.com. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/why-no-polar-bears-antarctica [Accessed 16 December 2022].
