Facts about Penguins
The movie, The March of the Penguins, has raised a great amount of interest in penguins. If you’re looking for facts on Penguins, here they are.
Facts about Penguins
Known as the little tuxedos, penguins have always seemed a bit odd as animals go. All of that changed, however, with The March of the Penguins, a movie about Emperor Penguins. The movie focuses on the incredible hardships these penguins undergo to be parents. If you haven’t seen the movie, rent it now. It will make you laugh, cry and develop a healthy respect for these majestic animals.
Here are facts about penguins in general:
- Penguins live primarily in Antarctica, but can also be found in cold costal areas of South America, New Zeeland, Australia and South Africa.
- There are seventeen species of penguins.
- Seven of the species are only found in Antarctica.
- Penguins eat fish, squid and krill while swimming.
- Penguins breed only on land.
- Rockhopper penguins are the smallest penguins, roughly 12 inches tall.
- Emperor penguins are the biggest, roughly 48 inches tall.
- Penguins mate year after year at inland locations known as rookeries.
- Emperor penguins travel up to 100 miles on land to reach their rookeries.
- The female emperor penguin lays a single egg each year.
- The male emperor penguin holds the egg on the top of his feet with his belly flapping over it.
- The male does this for nine weeks.
- He doesn’t eat during this period and will lose up to half his body weight.
- Penguins have no biological defenses against germs found outside of cold Antarctica conditions and die in large numbers in zoos.
- To go quickly on the ice, penguins fall on their stomachs and push themselves across the ice with their feet.
- Penguins are extremely strong swimmers and can launch them up to six feet in the air when jumping onto land.
- Penguins cannot swim backwards.
- A penguin can hold its breath for six minutes underwater.
- Penguins cannot fly.
- Penguins swim up to 25 miles per hour.
These facts about penguins should provide you with talking points. To get a better impression, make sure you see March of the Penguins.