The Flightless seabird

Penguins are a group of flightless seabirds found in the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest number is found on the coasts of Antarctica and on the subantarctic islands. Some penguin species live as far north as the Galapagos Islands on the Equator and the subtropical coasts of South America, South Africa and Australia.

But even in warm areas, they live only where cold water currents exist, such as the Humboldt Current along the western coast of South America and Benguela and Agulhas Currents around South Africa. Of the 17 species of penguins, the largest, such as the Emperor and Adelie penguins, are found in the Antarctic.

Penguins have flippers instead of wings and therefore cannot fly. Though they are feathered they spend most of their lives at sea and must return to land to mate and lay eggs. On land, they either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies.

Having evolved streamlined bodies, they can swim at up to 25 kms per hour (15mph). And they are not just superb swimmers, but also world class divers!

On land, penguins are less agile. They almost always stand upright, using the stout tail feathers as a prop. They waddle rather than walk because of their short legs, but on ice they can move fast, even tobogganing on their bellies.

Penguin diet

Penguins feed on small fish, floating crabs and squids. Most species of penguins eat snow, and all of them drink salt water and fresh water. They can endure long periods without food on land.

Today, penguins face a number of threats, including destruction of nesting habitats, competition with fishermen for fish and shrimp, and introduced predators such as rats, dogs and foxes which eat penguin eggs and young.

However, the greatest potential threat to penguins in global warming, as they are extremely sensitive to climate change.

More Penguins and climate change:
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