Penguins: God’s Amazing Handiwork

Emperor penguins *They are the tallest of all penguins. * They live near and in the South Pole (Antarctica). * They love to tobaggon. *Their hooked claws help them stand on ice. * They are known to hitch a ride on a block of ice! * God shows them how to keep warm by rotating in huddles for warmth.

All penguin babies are called “chicks”.

Emperor penguin males and females take turns holding the egg on their feet,… for up to 4 months without eating!

King penguins They are the second largest penguin. * Solid orange patches are on the sides of their heads * They have a yellow patch of color under their chins and on beaks. * They have solid white underbellies and silver-feathered backs.

King penguins don’t make nests. Instead they have a territory where they incubate an egg while standing. Baby King Penguins stay on their parents’ feet for the first days after hatching a greenish-colored egg. They take months to”fledge” a chick. Then they are able to stand alone, as their feathers are changing to be more adult-like or they can hang out with other young penguins in “creches”.

The King penguin has a distinctive marking of bright orange on its neck, beak and throat. The orange marking by it’s neck has been referred to as a “reversed raindrop” in its shape. What do you think? Do you agree?

Can you tell the difference between the king and emperor penguins shown here?

When a penguin is swimming, its shape looks like the shape of a submarine! Submarines and torpedoes were designed after the model of observing a fast swimming penguin! The King penguin catches fish in it’s beak and holds it still with it’s rough, spiny tongue. This penguin is capable of staying under water for up to 15 minutes!

Adelie penguins grow very quickly. When they are 2 months old, they are ready to head out to sea! They are the fastest growing of all penguins!

These are adelie penguins and a new chick in a “rookery”. Adelies don’t drink water but eat snow instead! They have a gland in their nose that takes salt out of ocean water that they swallow when catching fish! Isn’t our God amazing in how he provides for the needs of all penguins!

Adelie penguins greet each other with a bit of noise, raising their beaks, and wing flapping.

The Chinstrap penguin was given this name because of the thin line of black feathers under its chin that seem like a strap from a party hat!

Chinstraps are the most numerous of all penguins in the world (about 14 million)!

Here is a molting chinstrap penguin. It is called a molting penguin because it is changing it’s feathers from when it was first born to adult penguin feathers.

Macaroni penguins * They are similar to Royal penguins and in the Crested penguins group. * They have colonies found in Southern America, South Georgia Island, and Africa. * Macaronis are named after a group of young men wearing flashy feathers in their hats during the Revolutionary War. The yellow feathers on the head of the macaroni look like the hats of these men.

You know the song…. “Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony. Stuck a feather in his cap and called it……. MACARONI!

Here is what that macaroni style hat looked like during the Revolutionary War!

Rockhopper penguin Rockhoppers make nests by scraping a hole in ground and lining it with dried grass. They are called “rockhoppers” because they jump up and down from rocks instead of waddling like other penguins. Rockhoppers usually lay two eggs but often only one survives. They are loud, noisy and feisty birds that fight often with each other! Rockhoppers will quickly attack anything that bothers them. They have feathery yellow crests on their heads, a red beak and red eyes!

Rockhopper penguins Both male and female rockhoppers guard eggs for 32 days. Parents spend time warming the egg for 10 day shifts. After 4 weeks, chicks huddle together in groups called “creches” to keep warm. Rockhopper chicks molt and head to the open sea when they are about 65 days old. A predator is the blue whale. This penguin lives in slightly “warmer” regions than the Antarctic. It is one of the smallest penguins. They drink plenty of natural spring water in the area.

Little blue penguins are the smallest of all penguins. Some grow to only inches. They are nicknamed the “fairy penguin”and are native to Australia.

Little Blues are shy and like to hide in caves. They are the only nocturnal penguin.

Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimmer of all penguins. Each has a wide white stripe that goes across the top of their heads and a bright orange beak. They live off islands in the Antarctic region. They live in large and noisy colonies.

Gentoo penguins Gentoos carry and pile stones, pebbles, grass, sticks and anything that can make a circle. They can be aggressive when they fight over a stone!

African (Blackfooted) penguins live in south and Southwest Africa. They have a broad black band that runs in an inverted horseshoe shape around their front.

African (Blackfooted Penguins) adults are very noisy. They have habitats damaged by oil spills from tankers.

Here is a Magellanic penguin singing (or braying) like a donkey.

The Magellanic penguin is named after the explorer, Magellan, who discovered these penguins on an expedition.

This leopard seal is a predator of the penguin. A predator is something that seeks to attack another animal.

Another predator is the Skua bird. It is known to steal penguin chicks and even battle adult penguins to get them!

Krill and fish found in the ocean are the main foods of many penguins.

Can you now tell the difference between the King and the Emperor penguins below? Which is which?

Answer: the King penguin is on the left, and the Emperor penguin is on the right.

Can you tell the difference between a Black- footed penguin and the Magellanic?

Answer: the Magellanic is on the left and the Black Footed is on the right!

Rockhopper and macaroni: which is which?

Answer: the Macaroni is on the left and the Rockhopper is on the right!

There are 17 kinds of penguins that God created. Now you have learned about ten of them. You are becoming a Penguin Expert!