Antarctic Penguin - description, habitat

Today we are considering the next representative of the penguin family, namely the antarctic penguin. He prefers to settle in South America, as well as on the Sandwich and Falkland Islands. They meet representatives of the genus in other territories with a cold climate. Some roaming individuals belonging to bachelors live in New Zealand and South Africa. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, consider everything that affects these individuals, in more detail.

Description

1. In height of the body, these birds are slightly smaller than the royal ones, they grow up to 70 cm maximum. As for the weight category, it is also not too large, it is about 3-5 kg. For comparison, a penguin royal type weighs 15 kg.
2. Differences in gender are partially present, namely in the weight category. Males are slightly thicker than females. As for the hull coloring, the back part is pigmented dark (black or so). In the middle, feathers of a whitish tone are seen.
3. The wings resemble fins, in the format they are pasty, colored dark inside, and white outside. The head is average in size, above there is a kind of hat made of feathers. From it begins a black thin strip, extending below the head. It is on this basis that Antarctic individuals can be distinguished from all others.
4. The beak is rather dense and strong, the color is black. Paws with membranes shortened, yellow. The fingers are pinkish. Thanks to this color, the birds are perfectly masked in the aquatic environment. If you look at them from above, it seems as if individuals are merging with water. Youngsters have a gray-blue downy feather, the back is dark, and the belly is light.
5. These dwellers make excellent dives. They dive to a depth of 250 meters, feeling comfortable. During a hunt, they can move up to 1 km from the coast. Feathers are waterproof, so even in cold water it is comfortable for individuals. They feed rarely, save fat stores.

Breeding

1. When two individuals meet each other, they create a strong family for life. Reproduction begins at the end of autumn and ends with the onset of winter.Nesting is colonial. In the process of building nests are laid pebbles, which later will be about 2 eggs.
2. Incubation involved both parents with an interval of one week. At the end of the month, babies are born who will stay in their parents' dwelling for another 3-5 weeks.
3. When the young growth is growing up, it moves on to other chicks and nurseries are formed. However, mom and dad do not forget about the younger generation and feed them a couple more months. Then the young are subjected to molting and sent to independent life.

Interesting Facts

1. If you plunge into history, it is worth noting that the individuals in question appeared on the earth about 72 million years ago. Therefore, we can assume that they caught the dinosaurs. For quite a long period of time, the individuals in question belonged to a separate species of animals. Only in the modern world, scientists attributed penguins to seabirds.
2. The considered individuals belong to one of the 40 species of birds that are not able to fly at all. Among these, ram, ostrich, emu, cassowary and kiwi can also be distinguished. Penguins do not belong to the smallest and largest representatives of such a group. If you look the other way, they are the most charming.
3. Penguins belong to the only species that can not fly, but at the same time perfectly swim. In addition, the individuals in question are the only representatives of birds that walk strictly upright.
4. In addition, there are species of penguins that do not live in Antarctica or similar climatic conditions. For example, the Galapagos penguins feel great at 20 degree heat. And the temperature in such a place practically does not change.
5. In the cold climatic conditions, the individuals in question are brought together in small flocks in order to warm up. In this case, the temperature in such a dense circle can reach up to +30 degrees. Birds are constantly changing their position, so that all are in equal conditions.
6. Penguins are fun to move through the loose snow. In order not to fall through, they fall on the stomach and roll, pushing with their paws and wings from the surface. The speed of their movement can reach up to 25 km / h.

The considered individuals without any problems during the hunt can spend up to 30 minutes under water. They spend almost half of their lives in water. Such birds are unique in nature. They are nothing like their feathered counterparts.However, albatrosses, divers, and petrels are considered close relatives.

Video: 10 facts about penguins