7:27 PENGUINS

There are 18 species of penguins, who all belong to the Order Sphenisciformes, Class Aves. Their primary habitat is Antarctica and its surrounding islands, but they are also found in warm coastal areas of western South America, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and even the Galapagos Islands.

The Emperor penguin is the largest at about 4 ft. and 90 pounds. The smallest, Little Blue penguin, weighs about 2 pounds and is 16 inches tall. Some penguins have yellow crest feathers like the Macaroni, Rockhopper, Royal and Fjordland.

Penguins are mostly monogamous, however there are some species like the Emperor Penguin which is serially monogamous, the mate with one couple for the whole season but the next year they will probably mate with another penguins as the urgent need for breeding will make them avoid waiting for the same couple the following year. Most penguins build nests of rocks, sticks, feathers, moss - whatever is available to lay their eggs.

Others, like the King and Emperor, carry their eggs around on their feet instead. In some species, the male cares for the egg all winter, tucked in a brood pouch kept 80o warmer than the temperature outside. Penguins may migrate thousands of miles back from their warmer winter ranges to spend the summer in an ancestral rookery on a Antarctica’s shores.

Only the Adelies and Emperors live on the continent all year long. Both parents help feed chicks by regurgitation. One warms the egg or chick while the other feeds. Some may go over 3 months between feeding turns.

If the hunting mate fails to return with food, the remaining parent will be forced by hunger to abandon the chick. Penguins lay 1-2 eggs and a few species may raise two chicks if food supply is good. Others only care for the second “B” egg which is larger. Penguins eat krill, fish, squid and are eaten by seals, birds and killer whales (Orcas).

Their bones are not hollow like flying birds, which makes swimming and diving easier. The Emperor can dive to 900 ft. None can fly. Short wings are used like paddles in the water. They stay warm with dense feathers and thick fat. The skin may contain more than 70 feathers per square inch.

Like other birds, their feathers molt Like other birds, their feathers molt. They do not enter the water to feed during molting. Overheating is also a problem because they have high metabolism. They often walk with their wings out to the side to cool off. Streamlined bodies aid in fast swimming - up to 15 miles/hour.

They travel long distances by “porpoising” or swimming like a porpoise with jumps and plunges. This behavior allows them to breathe without slowing down.

Confusion? Penguins vs. Puffins Penguins only live in the Southern Hemisphere Puffins in the Northern Hemisphere.

AURORAS Both polar areas share a strange phenomenon called the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights) and the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). They have been described as a curtain of colored lightening. High energy particles escaping from holes in the sun’s corona create solar wind. When the particles collide with the earth’s atmosphere, the energy of the particles is turned into light. NOAA

In the Northern Hemisphere, they can be seen best above the Hudson Bay during the equinox in March and October when the sky is cloudless and relatively dark from ground lights. NOAA Auroras often only last 20 minutes and have no regular pattern of occurrence. NOAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u67Wk_hJ0 -2:15 Penguin hatching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6wYy-YBkE0 – 2:07 Penguin vs. Leopard Seal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBwqbqZ3L60 – 2:01 Penguin vs. Killer Whale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ht_87AZjoI -3:00 Funny Penguins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVsONlc3OUY – 2:22 Auroras