Penguins: The Odd Bird Out

5th 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, 60-90 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 50-60 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?

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

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMdD6rgwkk

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