Penguins-Sea Lovers

             Penguins are birds which do not fly . They are the birds with black and white feathers. The wings of the penguins are called flippers.      Penguins have knees but it look like they don’t have knees because of their very short legs . The upper part of the leg and knees are covered by feathers making them invisible to us.  Penguins feathers are short, overlapping and densely packed. The overlapping, outer layer feather of an penguin have an waxy oil which makes them water proof when they are in water. The thick feathers of the penguins keep them warm. Their bones are heavy and solid giving them more weight. Mostly flying birds have light weighted bones. Penguins have long and strong beaks. Penguins used to carry the materials needed to build their nest using their beaks. Using their beaks they preen their feathers,  feed  their young ones and spread oils to keep them waterproof. Penguins don not have teeth. The chicks have an egg tooth but that is not the real tooth. Penguins store their food in the stomach and it is regurgitated to the chicks.

Penguins spend almost 75% of their time in underwater  where they can dive, flap wings which look like as they are flying. 

The powerful flippers and streamlined bodies of the penguins make them  a good accomplished swimmers. Among all the birds penguins are the deepest divers and fastest swimmers. Porpoising is an act of leaping in and out of water in a short shallow arc while swimming and penguins are best known for porpoising. Penguins have superior eyesight in underwater then in air which helps them to catch the preys  even in cloudy, murky or dark water. penguins communicate through calls and visual displays. Penguins can sleep for only few minutes of any time in day or night. Penguins are fond of sea and ice. They can live in southern half of the world. We can also find them in shores of Antartica, South of Australia, New Zealand, America, Africa etc.

EMPEROR PENGUIN

 Emperor penguins are the largest of all penguins. On an average they are 45 inches tall and can weigh upto  90 pounds when mature. Emperor penguins spend long  winter on the open ice and able to breed even during this harsh season.

KING PENGUINS

The  rarest penguin in the world is the yellow eyed penguins. At sea yellow eyed penguins forage in pairs or alone. This kind of penguins feed mostly on fish. The largest of 17 penguin species is the king penguin but it is second only to the emperor penguins. They are 35 inches long and can weigh  upto  28 – 30 pounds. King penguins have longest breeding cycle among all penguins.

AFRICAN PENGUIN

The only penguin that lives in Africa is the African penguin which is a popular tourist attraction. They are 24-28 inches long. Fairy penguins are little penguins which are found in Australia which is a mjor tourist attraction. Fairy penguins can live for an average of 7 years.

Scientist found  32 species of extinct penguins. African penguins are the endangered species which is  facing threats from habitat loss from human development ,fisheries depletion etc. Penguins are exploited for food, oil and skins.