7 Amazing Fun Facts About Penguins
Penguins are cute ‘flightless birds’ known for surviving on the freezing cold continent of Antarctica.
With Winter coming now, we thought we’d show some respect to the cold & these epic creatures for being able to endure such freezing temperatures!
When most people imagine a penguin, they’re thinking of just the emperor penguin species. These are the tallest of all with a height of about 4 feet.
However there are 17 other species of penguins, the smallest of which called the ‘little blue penguin’ with a height of about 16 inches.
Penguins are found mainly in Antarctica, as well as the Southern hemisphere. They can’t be found in the North Pole.
In today’s post we shall cover 7 fascinating fun facts about these amazing creatures.
For the video version, click HERE now.
- The Fastest Penguin
Did you know that the fastest penguin can swim at about 22 miles per hour? Yes, this is their underwater swimming speed!
The species that can do this is called the “Gentoo penguin.”
- Penguins Are Camouflaged
Penguins don’t look like they’re wearing a tuxedo for style or cute points, but they definitely get the cute points anyways.
This actually serves a purpose: the black on top prevents predators from above from noticing them. It helps them blend in with the murky water.
Their white bellies help them blend in with the bright ocean surface at the same time.
- Penguin Colonies
All penguin species except 2 breed in giant colonies of thousands of penguins. There are several videos & photos online of a giant congregation of penguins!
Also, unlike other creatures which often mate with several different members of the opposite sex, penguins prefer to mate with the same member every single mating season.
They are for the most part monogamous like us humans! - Females Hunt, Men Guard
In most wildlife species men do the hunting & fighting while the females protect the young & eggs. This is the opposite for penguins.
Males take care of the egg and keep it warm while the females go out and hunt.
In fact, male penguins that are pudgy are most desirable by females because it indicates they have enough fat stores to keep her eggs warm & that the penguin will survive without food for weeks.
- Penguins Raising Their Young
Penguins take care of their young until they can hunt, then the little penguin goes off to hunt on its own! This process can take several months.
Until the penguin is ready to hunt both the male & female will take care of the young penguin- these creatures really are monogamous like us!
- Penguin Kidnapping
Some female emperor penguins have been caught kidnapping other baby penguins if theirs dies. Wow!
- Penguins Don’t Fear Humans
On Antarctica penguins are for the most part safe. Their predators are mainly found in the water which is where they have to stay alert.
When humans come to visit, they are quite curious & friendly towards us!
We hope you enjoyed this post and learned something about these awesome creatures we call penguins. What was your favorite fact? Let us know.
-Wildlife x Team International