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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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