No enemies of Batman, they

by Vince Padilla

research

Penguins are one of my favorite species of birds. They look like a bunch of men in tuxedos at
the beach. Although they are considered birds, none of them are capable of flying. They live in
climates and locations that range from the warm Equator to the freezing Antarctic. Penguins are
so cool that they have become the stars of many television commercials. Of the seventeen
species, it is the Emperor penguin that is the most interesting penguin. After all, how many
fathers can go without food for two months, so that they can protect their off-spring twenty four
hours a day?

All penguins are found in the Southern Hemisphere and are flightless seabirds. While many
people associate penguins with the cold Antarctic, only two species breed in the Antarctic. The
two species that breed in the Antarctic are the Adelie and the Emperor penguin. In fact, penguins
live in a wide variety of climates and locations. Among the locations that the other fifteen
species inhabit are the Galapagos Islands and the coasts of Australia, South America, New
Zealand, and South Africa. Interestingly, the Emperor penguin is the world’s only bird that never
spends one second of its life on dry land.

Adult penguins range in height from approximately 16 to 48 inches, depending on the species.
The Emperor penguin is the tallest of all species. Emperor penguins are also the heaviest,
weighing up to 100 pounds. Most penguins can be recognized by their white breasts, black
backs, and black heads, resembling a small man in a tuxedo. Some penguins have other
distinguishing features such as orange, red, or yellow areas on their heads or necks.

Penguins are gifted swimmers, using their wings as paddles. Their bodies are designed to
conserve heat, making them able to withstand intense cold, either in the water or on icebergs.
Penguins feed off of small sea life forms, including fish, crustaceans, and cuttlefish.
Surprisingly, in captivity, the King and Emperor penguins usually have to be fed by hand,
because they do not learn how to pick up their own food (Pete & Barbara’s Penguin Page).

Most penguins can be found in captivity throughout the world. The Emperor and Adelie
penguins, however, are only found in a few locations. Because they live exclusively in the
Antarctic, only places such as Sea World keep them in captivity. The Sea World Parks have
constructed special buildings in which the penguin’s complete habitat has been simulated, i.e. air
temperature, icy surfaces, and cold water. Sea World puts the penguins in a considerably more
realistic environment than the usual zoo exhibit, which consists of a cold water pool constructed
in an outdoor setting, in a city such as Cleveland or Miami.

The breeding and/or nesting habits of penguins vary from one species to the next. Like other
birds, penguins gather in flocks. Unlike most birds, however, penguins also nest in flocks.
These gatherings are referred to as rookeries, can consist of several species of penguins, and may
contain hundreds of thousands of these intriguing birds.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, the Emperor penguin is the most interesting of all penguin
species. I have previously discussed some of the reasons. It is, however, the nesting behavior of
the Emperor penguin that makes it the favorite species of many people, myself included. After
breeding, the male and female penguin stay together. They do not construct a nest. Instead, the
female lays a single egg onto her feet. This occurs when the Antarctic temperature can be as low
as eighty degrees below zero. Within a few days, the female transfers the egg to the feet of the
male, who uses his flap of abdominal skin to keep the egg warm. The female then goes her way
for two months, feeding in the ocean. During this two months, the male keeps the egg balanced
on his feet. All of this occurs in the open and during the deadly Antarctic winter. Even more
amazing, the male Emperor penguin eats nothing during these two months! The male can lose as
much as 45% of his body weight during this time.

The female Emperor penguin then returns and the parents take turns warming their chicks,
keeping the chick on their feet until he or she is too big. The other parent goes to sea and gathers
food. Eventually, the chick begins to eat more food than one parent can supply, so both parents
go out to sea in search for food. The maturing chick stays behind, grouping with other chicks for
warmth and protection from predators. The returning parents are able to pick out their chick
from among the thousands of other chicks in the group.

All penguins are fascinating and I enjoyed learning about them. Many people feel that penguins
are the most interesting bird on the planet. Others would argue that they should not even be
classified as birds. After all, none of them fly. Because so many people find penguins
interesting, beer companies and other advertisors have chosen to frequently use them in
television commercials. There is even a hockey team named after them. Of all the seventeen
species, however, it is the amazing nesting habits and parental dedication that makes the Emperor
penguin the most interesting of all penguins.

The Kingfisher Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals. New York, New York: Kingfisher Books,
Grisewood & Dempsey Inc., 1992: “Penguin.” 238-239.

Pete & Barbara’s Penguin Page. 4 October 1999 <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/
Peter_and_Barbara_Barham/pengies.html>.

Conway, William G. “Penguin.” Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. Microsoft
Corporation. CD-ROM. 1993-1997.

Earth & Sky World of Science Web Page. Byrd and Block Communications. 1998. 4 October
1999 <http://earthsky. worldofscience.com/>.

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Questions? Brian McKinney (bmckinne@home.com)