Penguins: The Odd Bird Out 5 th Grade

Penguins! Class – Aves Family –Spheniscidae – Penguins are the only animals in the Spheniscidae family Species – 18

Location Live in the Southern Hemisphere Abundant on temperate and sub-antarctic islands Live in areas where their inability to fly is not detrimental to their survival (not many land predators)

Characteristics: Aquatic, flightless birds Highly adapted to life in the water Countershading: a form of camouflage that helps keep them safe in the water (they look like they are wearing a tuxedo)

Size: Emperor Penguin = largest – 3.7 feet tall, pounds Fairy (Little Blue) Penguin = smallest – 16 inches tall, 2.2 pounds

Population Species with the highest population is the Macaroni Penguin (23,308,000) Species with the lowest population is the endangered Galapagos Penguin with only between 6,000-15,000 left

Macaroni Penguin

Galapagos Penguin

Behavior Can spend up to 75% of their lives in the water Do all of their hunting in the water Catch prey in their beaks and swallow it whole Some only leave water for molting and breeding

Diet Krill Squid Fishes

Hunting and Collecting Food Feed at sea Find food within feet from the surface, so they do not need to dive very deep Rely on their vision while hunting

Fasting During breeding season, penguins fast Fun Fact: Male emperor penguins may fast 90 – 120 days during courtship, breeding, and incubation of the eggs

Reproduction Each penguin has a distinct call, allowing individual penguins to find their mate and their chicks in large groups Most breed during spring and summer King and Emperor penguins lay only one egg –all other species lay two eggs Eggs take between 1 month and 66 days to develop and hatch, depending on the species

Flippers and Feathers Instead of wings, penguins have paddle-like flippers Each flipper is covered with short, scale-like feathers Flippers used to propel Penguins through water

Flippers and Feathers

Why are the feathers still there?

Feathers help keep water away from the skin Penguin feathers are highly specialized: short, broad, closely spaced

Penguins lose their feathers once per year, a process called MOLTING

Movement Swim quickly because if their flippers and webbed feet Walk slowly using short steps or hops When traveling on ice, Antarctic penguins often use toboggan on their bellies –use flippers and feet to slide their bodies forward along the ice

Toboggan wkk wkk

Emperor Penguin Migration Begin migration rituals each March, traveling up to 100 miles to reach an appropriate nesting ground Female lays an egg, and males take care of the eggs for up to four months

Males Incubate Egg

Emperor Penguin Males Incubate Eggs – covers it with a feathered fold of abdominal skin