Now
here’s an interesting story. Did you know that about four years ago (2010) they
discovered a rare all-black penguin in the Antarctic? Imagine! Black from head
to toe! They say penguins white stomachs are caused by lack of pigmentation,
and it’s not unusual for penguins to have different kinds of coloration. But an
all black penguin with no white spots is very rare. Some are using the phrase “one
in a trillion”.
Then,
about two years later (2012), they found an (almost) all snowy-white penguin in the
Antarctic. I’ll bet it’s the best camouflaged penguin down there! One good
snowfall and the little fellow vanishes all together!
Now,
can you imagine if they got together and had a little one? That’d be weird. The
baby would be half black and half white and . . . oh . . . wait a minute . . .
Anyway,
here are some interesting penguin facts for you.
·
Penguins will sometimes leap into the air while
swimming. This causes tiny air bubbles in their feathers which makes them
slicker and, as a result, faster in the water.
·
The average swimming speed for a penguin is 4 to
7 miles per hour, but one species can top out at 22 miles per hour!
·
Some prehistoric penguin fossils are up to 4.5
feet tall. The tallest penguin species alive today (Emperor Penguin) is 40
inches.
·
Penguins take in lots of seawater because of
their diet of mostly fish. But they have a gland that takes the salt water out
of the bloodstream and filters it out of the bill. Sometimes they even sneeze
it out! Achoooo!!
·
All birds lose a few feathers here and there, so
they always have a brand new outfit on. Penguins loose them all at once,
rendering them unable to fish or swim. But they’re smart. The stuff themselves
before the molting season so they can go without until they get their feathers
back.
·
A penguin colony can number up to 1000 birds.
·
Some penguins make a nest with pebbles and
feathers, but the Emperor Penguin holds the egg on top of his feet!
·
Mom and Dad penguin share parenting duties
together.
·
Early explorers initially described penguins as “geese”.
·
January 20th, 2015 will be World
Penguin Awareness Day.
And there they are! Another one
of Mother Nature’s True Wonders!
Comments