Penguins (lat. Spheniscidae) are a unique family of birds, which includes about 20 species. They are distinguished by their inability to fly, but at the same time, excellent ability to dive and swim under water, as well as adaptability to life in extremely cold regions of the planet.

king penguins

The Russian word "penguin" is derived from the English "penguin", regarding the origin of which, in turn, there are several versions. According to the first version, the name comes from the Welsh "pengwyn" (translated as "white head"), which in the sailor's environment denoted another animal - the extinct wingless auk. The external similarity of these two birds could lead to an erroneous name, which was fixed in the everyday life of sailors, and then spilled over into the scientific community. Supporters of the second version argue that the word "penguin" comes from the Latin "pinguis" (translated as "fat") as a reference to appearance animals. It is likely that both approaches took place in reality.

The wingless auk (photo above), at first glance, was really quite similar to penguins, but had no family connection with them. The wingless auk became one of the first birds on Earth completely destroyed by people (hunting was carried out for meat, eggs and fluff). The last meeting of a person with this bird, according to scientists, took place in the middle of the 19th century.

For the first time, Europeans learned about penguins from the stories of the Portuguese navigators Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan only at the beginning of the 16th century.

Different types of penguins differ quite a lot in height (from 30 to 120 cm) and weight (from 1 to 50 kg). There is a pattern: the colder the region, the larger the dimensions. The largest penguins, such as the emperor, live on ice floes around Antarctica. Populations of the smallest penguins (for example, the so-called little penguins, which weigh about 1 kg) live on the coast of Australia and New Zealand.

The ancestors of penguins were much larger than modern individuals. About 37-45 million years ago, the giant penguin Anthropornis lived on Earth, its height was 180 cm, weight was about 90-100 kg. Characteristics of the largest modern species- emperor penguin: height about 120 cm, weight up to 55 kg.

The stocky bodies of penguins have a streamlined shape, which helps them successfully move underwater. The average speed of movement under water is about 10 km/h. At short distances, some types of penguins show even more impressive results. For example, the gentoo penguin, which is the fastest member of the family, reaches a speed of 35 km / h! Typically, penguins are able to spend under water continuously for about 1-1.5 minutes and dive to a depth of 20 meters. The record holder in diving is the emperor penguin: up to 18 minutes underwater, over 500 meters deep!

Penguins often leave the water with a jump up to 2 meters high, which allows them to immediately be on the shore. On land, penguins look very awkward: they move, waddling from side to side, saving energy and heat. Penguins use every opportunity to make their walking path easier and faster, for example, they often move down slides on their stomachs. Take a look at this funny video, which is a good description of how penguins move on land.

Penguins are as amazing swimmers and divers as their bird cousins ​​are in the air. However, water resistance is much higher than air resistance, which predetermines the developed muscles of penguins: their muscle mass makes up about 30% of the total body weight, which is several times higher than the largest and most powerful flying birds (condor, harpy, etc.). In addition, the structure of bones distinguishes penguins from other birds. While most birds have tubular bones that lighten the weight of the animal for faster movement in the air and on land, the bones of penguins are unusually dense and do not contain cavities, which resembles the structure of the bones of some marine mammals (dolphin, seal, etc.).

Pictured above is the coast of South Africa. Spectacled penguins live on the coast of South Africa and Namibia. Penguins on the coast of hot Africa are kept by the cold Antarctic Benguela Current.

spectacled penguin

Penguins live exclusively in the southern hemisphere of the Earth: Antarctica, coast South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Birds can be found in tropical latitudes, however, this means that cold currents prevail in local waters. Most warm place, in which penguin populations are observed - the Galapagos Islands (the archipelago is located near the planet's equator). Quantitatively, the largest number of penguins live on the coast of Antarctica and the large ice floes and islands surrounding it.

Adelie penguin

The plumage of penguins consists of three layers of numerous waterproof small "hairs". The air between the layers of feathers helps to keep warm when the animal is in cold water. During molting, penguins almost completely change their plumage, shedding old layers in a short period. At this time, the penguins are not able to swim, which means they are forced to starve until new vestments grow. In addition to feathers, penguins also protect themselves from the cold with a fairly thick layer of fat (about 3 cm).

The main diet is made up of schooling fish species - horse mackerel, sardine, anchovy, etc. In addition, penguins eat squid and krill (clusters of planktonic crustaceans). In one day of hunting, penguins can make from 200 to 900 dives. During periods of molting and incubation of eggs (in some species), penguins are forced to do without enough food. long time(up to 3.5 months). During this period, the penguin can lose up to half of its mass.

Under water, penguins see much better than on land. Birds can see their prey even in dark or muddy water.

Reproduction and rearing of chicks takes place in large colonies, which can often be formed from hundreds of thousands of individuals. The age at which a penguin is ready to breed varies greatly by species. Adélie penguins, for example, begin breeding at the age of 3-4 years, while the emperor penguin only by 8 years. Antarctic penguin species incubate only one egg (once a year), while their northern relatives from warmer regions lay several eggs at a time (despite the fact that they can sometimes make two clutches at once in a year). The breeding periods for different species vary, however, if the dates coincide, huge combined colonies are formed from representatives of various species, the number of which in the aggregate can reach several million individuals.

emperor penguin chick

Large colonies of penguins leave behind a huge amount of waste in the form of droppings. People have learned to thoroughly count and determine the habitats of populations using satellite imagery: all that is needed for this is to highlight large dark spots on the ice in photographs.

King penguins and their chick

Interestingly, many penguins choose the same partner during the breeding season year after year. For example, the percentage of "divorces" in magnificent penguins is only 14%, some pairs exist for 10 years in a row. A slightly different situation has developed with Adélie penguins: in 50% of cases, animals change partners every year.

Usually, penguins build nests from grass, leaves, stones, etc. to incubate eggs. Only emperor and king penguins incubate their eggs in a special fold on their belly. An interesting fact is that hatching success increases with age, so young pairs in most cases do not hatch at all.

Hatching occurs within 1-2 months. There is the concept of "brood reduction", according to which some species of penguins, laying two eggs, prefer to concentrate their efforts on the first hatched chick, giving him more food. Consequently, the second chick dies in most cases. On the other hand, the second chick is a kind of safety net if the first chick for some reason suffers an early death. Such is the adaptation of penguins to rather harsh conditions. environment and great competition for limited food supplies. There are penguin species that raise both chicks, as well as southern species that lay a single egg.

Penguin colonies have their own nurseries. After the first 3-6 weeks, when the chick is constantly under the supervision of one of the parents (at this time the other goes hunting), he goes to a kind kindergarten, which allows parents to fully concentrate on the extraction of food. Nestlings from neighboring nests gather in a group, exploring the world around them under the supervision of several adults.

The life expectancy of penguins is on average 25-30 years. Chicks have the least chance of survival, for example, about 50% of Adélie penguins die within the first 12 months of life. The main threats to the life of young animals are hunger and birds of prey, the most formidable of which is considered to be the giant southern petrel. Adult individuals already have a very high chance of survival, which ranges from 70 to 90%, depending on the species. The main threat to adult penguins are marine predators: killer whales, sharks, sea lions, seals and leopards. These predators claim the lives of about 5-10% of penguin populations.

It is likely that the so-called "penguin effect" is associated with the activity of marine predators. Approaching the shore in groups, the penguins do not dare to jump into the water for a long time. Animals crowd in front of the cliff, sometimes up to half an hour. The rite continues until the only brave man is found who is ready to jump into the water first. Everyone else immediately follows him. A similar situation often occurs in people's lives, in psychology it is called the "penguin effect".

In addition to predators, the life of penguins is also threatened by humans. First of all, people cause serious damage to the food supply of penguins by fishing sea ​​fish in the ocean. The second factor is the pollution of the world's oceans, including oil products. In addition, there is the problem of habitat loss associated with aggressive development and human expansion into penguin nesting areas (eg New Zealand and Australia). The danger to animals is feral dogs rejected by people. Several colonies of penguins on the Galapagos Islands were destroyed by wild dogs in the 20th century. Significant Negative influence and global climate change.

Warning road sign in the city of Oamaru, New Zealand. Not far from the coast, a colony of small penguins settled.

Penguins are naturally open and friendly. Unlike many wild animals, penguins do not experience fear at the sight of a person. Some observers have stated that penguins, they say, behave so naturally in front of people that they probably mistake them for relatives, albeit rather unusual ones.

Penguins communicate with each other using calls. Each species is characterized by its unique sounds. For example, the cries of a spectacled penguin are very similar to those of a donkey.

White-winged penguins (pictured above) differ from other species in their nocturnal lifestyle. In the evenings, they gather in groups on the ocean shore and wait until it gets completely dark. After dark, the groups set out to sea at the same time. They return from hunting only at dawn.

Galapagos penguins (pictured above) live north of the rest of the species. The proximity of the Galapagos archipelago to the equator determines rather high local temperatures, which are not typical for the habitat of penguins (the average water temperature is +23 C). They are in danger of extinction.

The Adélie penguin is one of the most common penguin species. This species got its name from the territory in which their colonies were first noticed by Europeans - Adélie Land. This section of the Antarctic continent was discovered by the French navigator Jules d'Urville and named after his wife Adele.

Magnificent (pictured) and Magellanic penguins are one of the smallest species. Are in danger of extinction

The gentoo penguin is the third largest species of penguin after the emperor and king.

Three emperors (pictured above). Emperor penguins are perhaps the most famous penguin species in the world. In addition to size, it is distinguished from other relatives by its incredible adaptability to cold (emperors live south of other species, live even on the mainland of Antarctica), a unique way of incubating chicks (the male hatches an egg in a special fold under his belly at an ambient temperature of -50 C and a strong wind ), as well as incredible records in the field of diving (15 minutes without breathing, more than 500 meters of depth). Emperor penguins are amazing social creatures. At severe frosts these animals gather in large close groups, the temperature inside of which can reach positive values ​​in case of severe frost outside. At the same time, the emperors are constantly moving from the center to the edge, changing places in such a way that all individuals are on an equal footing.

The genus of crested penguins includes 6 species. This is the most common genus of penguins on the planet. They are distinguished by an unusual crest on the head. Some representatives of the genus are able to move their "hair" to attract the attention of females.

And, finally, a touching video dedicated to the heroes of this story.

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municipal budgetary educational institution"Besedinskaya secondary school" of the Kursk region Kursk region Presentation: Penguins Prepared by: 7th grade student Alexander Stepkin Leader Kalugina Irina Stanislavna *

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* The penguin is one of the most unusual and peculiar representatives of the bird world. Appearance and gait penguins look like little men.

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* Penguin - a symbol of Antarctica Antarctica - a vast area of ​​the Earth, the southern polar region the globe, including the mainland Antarctica and the southern parts of the three oceans: the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific (this body of water is also called the Arctic Ocean). Almost all of Antarctica is covered with a thick layer continental ice. Its average thickness is about 1500 m. Antarctica is the most severe region of the globe, it is always very cold here, long strong, often hurricane winds blow, snow storms and fogs often occur. There is no permanent population in Antarctica. In the coastal part, there are separate scientific stations and fishing bases with a small number of variable personnel.

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* WHERE PENGUINS LIVE In Antarctica, there are only two types of penguins - "emperors" and Adélie penguins. In general, scientists have from 16 to 18 living species of penguins. In addition, about 40 more fossil species are known to science. The remaining species inhabit the islands of the southern polar region, the western and southern coasts of South America, South coast Australia, New Zealand, and the African penguin - the coast of South Africa.

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* The homeland of both ancient and modern penguins is only the southern hemisphere. Their origin is lost somewhere in the depths of the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, perhaps at least 100 million years ago. The largest of the fossil penguin species is the Nordenskiöld penguin that lived in the Eocene. He was almost the height of a man and weighed about 120 kg. Some other ancient penguin species reached almost the same size. Of the living birds, the most close to the penguins are the tube-nosed ones, which include petrels and albatrosses, which have perfectly mastered the aquatic environment. penguin ancestors

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* HOW THEY WERE FOUND THEM IN GENERAL off the southern coast of Africa, and Magellan - in 1520. off the southeast coast of South America. In the descriptions of these voyages, penguins have not yet appeared under their modern name. Strange, but most often unusual birds were compared with geese. Pin-wing, i.e. hairpin-wing - such, according to one version, is the appearance of the name penguin. Vasco da Gama Fernando Magellan

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* Penguins are super swimmers Penguins are the best adapted to life in the water. They have reached the level of seals and dolphins in this. Penguins don't just swim underwater, they fly underwater very quickly and dexterously. The main mover when swimming they are wings-fins. The swimming speed is about 20-25 km / h, but if the penguins are in a hurry, they can reach speeds of 40 km / h. Fast-swimming penguins, like dolphins or fur seals, jump out of the water. And in the Antarctic, penguins fleeing from predators, having gained speed, easily jump out onto a high fast ice.

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* … and super divers In their ability to dive, penguins are again not inferior to seals and dolphins and undoubtedly surpass other birds.

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* The “clothing” of a penguin is a “shell” of hard, durable, short, glossy feathers laid like tiles on a roof. They do not allow the wind to get to the down lining between the body and the “shell”. But penguins have very little down under their feathers. Therefore, like seals, penguins have a fatty layer under the skin. The paws are not covered with feathers, but they are fat and black in color, which allows them to capture the heat of the sun. Penguin bones are heavy. The large weight helps them dive to get their own food.

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* WHAT PENGUINS EAT The food of penguins is plankton, fish and cephalopods, mostly krill. They extract it only in the sea and never use emissions. One of the smallest and numerous inhabitants of the southern polar region are tiny crustaceans Euphausia superba Dana, in a simple way, krill. Their quantity is measured not in pieces, but in tons. But tons come out too much! The area around the mainland where krill is found is 20 million square meters. km of ocean waters. Euphausia superba Dana, simply krill.

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* Penguins are social birds. They stay in the sea in groups and flocks, and during breeding they necessarily form colonies, sometimes reaching several hundred thousand and even millions of individuals.

1. The Southern Hemisphere is the exclusive habitat for all 17 species of the penguin family.

2. Penguins live not only in Antarctica. These birds also live in New Zealand, Africa and even at the equator.

3. Penguins are afraid of killer whales, and with good reason. Killer whales always hunt them. When the penguins do not know if their enemy is nearby, they crowd for a long time on the edge of the ice floe until the most courageous member of the flock dares to dive. If he survives, the others follow.

4. Not all penguins live in polar latitudes. Galapagos penguins, for example, live on the islands of the same name, and in fact there the average annual temperature is about +18 degrees Celsius.

5. Polar species of penguins can withstand temperatures down to -60 degrees.

emperor penguin

6. The largest penguins in the world are emperor penguins. Ten of the twelve months of the year they live in Antarctica. This is the most famous type of penguin.

7. The body length of an adult animal exceeds one meter, and its weight can reach forty kilograms.

8. Emperor penguins live in Antarctica for ten months a year. Every two months, according to scientists, they spend on the high seas and on ice floes near Antarctica.

9. These birds, like most penguins, are monogamous - they keep established pairs for life. The female looks for a new "husband" only if her permanent partner has died.

10. Emperor penguins have no nests. Males lay eggs on their paws and cover them with an abdominal fold. They incubate eggs for 65-70 days. Females spend this time in the ocean. Then the parents take turns feeding the chick.

Adélie penguins

11. Habitat of Adélie penguins - Antarctica. For the first time, scientists discovered these birds in one of the Antarctic regions called Adélie Land.

12. Adélie penguins live on the border of the floating ice of Antarctica and the open sea. But you can’t nest on the ice: it will melt and the eggs will drown. Therefore, in the spring, penguins move to the mainland.

13. To do this, they have to overcome from several tens to hundreds of kilometers. They do not know how to fly, so they travel on foot or crawling on their belly, and quite quickly - at speeds up to 6 km / h.

14. On the shore, males build small stone nests, and females lay two eggs in them. In December, the ice melts, and the penguins are again at the water's edge.

15. Penguins really do not freeze in cold water thanks to a thick layer of fat and feathers that fit tightly together.

king penguins

16. Habitat of king penguins - Antarctica. These penguins are famous for being excellent fishermen. During the breeding season, all king penguins together (about a million pairs) eat up to 7,000 tons of fish.

17. Birds hunt in small flocks. Each of them has several old experienced penguins. They teach the youth to hunt. In order to catch fish, birds dive to a depth of more than 20 meters.

18. Penguins go fishing once every two weeks, and in between they don’t eat anything, they just drink. And both fresh and salt water. During a two-week diet, birds lose half their weight.

19. Chicks in king penguin families appear less frequently than in other species. First, the female lays one egg, the next year another. And the third egg - only two years after the second.

20. The legs of penguins also do not freeze, because the number of nerve endings in them is minimal.

golden-haired penguins

21. The most common penguins in the world are golden-haired. There are about twenty million of them.

22. The habitat of golden-haired penguins is the Antarctic Islands. During the mating season, the male bachelor spreads his wings and begins to gracefully bow to the female, while uttering loud hoarse cries. If several males fight for the attention of a beautiful lady at once, they scream in unison.

Emperor penguins with chicks

23. Golden-haired penguin chicks are fed and guarded by males. And the females hunt and bring them food.

24. "Strange geese" - this is how Antonio Pigafetta called the penguins, who traveled with Magellan in 1520 and was the first person to tell the world about mysterious birds.

25. Penguins are monogamous and monogamous. It depends on the specific species, but most penguins mate for life.

Subantarctic or gentoo penguin

26. The fastest of the penguins is the subantarctic, or gentoo penguin. Under water, it can reach speeds of up to 36 km / h.

27. Habitat of subantarctic penguins - Subantarctic islands. These birds are also often referred to as donkey penguins because their loud cries are very similar to those of a donkey.

28. Subantarctic penguins are excellent swimmers. Penguins nest among tufts of grass. The females lay two eggs. Newborn chicks have to fight to be fed by their parents. Every time during feeding, the father runs away from the kids, and the children try to catch up with him. Whoever wins the race gets a portion of food. A weaker chick is fed only if there is a lot of food. Otherwise, he gets nothing, and he dies of hunger.

29. In the 19th century, subantarctic penguins almost became extinct. They were exterminated by whalers who hunted them for fat and eggs.

30. Today, these birds are under the protection of the international Red Book. You can't hunt them.

Antarctic penguin

31. Antarctic penguins build their nests using rocks and earth as building materials.

32. The habitat of chinstrap penguins is the Antarctic Islands. These small penguins feed on krill (small marine crustaceans). Usually birds prefer crustaceans 4-6 cm in size.

33. Polar explorers call chinstrap penguins "cops" because of their coloration. They have a black "cap" on the top of their head, the front of their head is white, and there is a black stripe under the beak, like a British police helmet strap. Chicks of chinstrap penguins have gray dots on their heads. After the first molt, they disappear.

34. In England and the USA, chinstrap penguins are called "macaroni". In the 19th century, they were called fashionistas.

35. The nest that penguins create, as a rule, also becomes permanent: in most cases, penguins nest where they themselves were born.

Magnificent penguins

36. Of all the penguin species, the magnificent penguins love water the least. They spend most of their lives on land.

37. The habitat of magnificent penguins is New Zealand. This is the only penguin species that does not form colonies. The magnificent penguins nest in independent pairs. Only young immature birds live in groups. At the same time, they stay away from the nests of adult pairs.

38. Sexual maturity in females occurs only at 3-4 years, and in males even later - at 4-5 years. The inhabitants of the New Zealand islands call these birds "hoiho", which means "noisy screamers." The fact is that when a male and a female meet after separation, they greet each other with loud cries. This is very rare view penguins: about 5 thousand pairs of birds have survived in the world.

39. The air in the layers of feathers is what keeps penguins from losing heat, especially when swimming in very, very cold water.

40. In colonies, the number of which can reach thousands of birds, almost all penguins are brought up - with the exception of just a few species.

Spectacled penguins

41. The habitat of spectacled penguins is South Africa. These penguins are real homebodies. They do not like to roam, preferring to spend time near the sea coast.

42. Now the coastal regions of South Africa are densely populated by people, and there is almost nowhere for birds to live.

43. In 2000, they were badly damaged by an oil spill off the coast of South Africa. The National Fund for the Protection of Shore Birds had to create several volunteer brigades, whose members washed penguins from oil.

44. A male spectacled penguin expresses love by gently patting the female on the head.

45. In 1487, on board the ship Vasco da Gama, among the entries of an anonymous diary, there are descriptions of flightless birds in the area of ​​​​the Cape of Good Hope. Perhaps it was also about penguins.

Little or blue penguin

46. ​​The largest representative of the penguins is the emperor penguin, whose height reaches 120 cm, and the smallest is the small or blue penguin. His average height is only 33 cm.

47. Penguins are very kind to their eggs. One day, a group of geologists stole an egg from them to eat it, but a flock of penguins began to pursue them. No, no plot for a horror movie - the penguins just silently followed the people. Geologists decided to give them the egg, after which the chase stopped.

48. The very word "penguin" since the 16th century has been used in relation to the flightless auk (lat. Pinguinus impennis) - an extinct species that once lived off the eastern coast of Canada. When the researchers traveled to the Southern Hemisphere and encountered black and white birds that looked like great auks, they dubbed them penguins.

49. Penguins do not experience any fear of people, because they are not used to danger on earth. Don't be surprised when you hear stories of someone petting penguins or hand-feeding them.

50. Penguins are only clumsy on land. Under water, they are very dexterous and graceful.

crested penguins

photo from internet

Penguins are the cutest creatures, amazing and beautiful in their own way. No wonder they often become characters in various cartoons - many believe that the penguin is something fluffy, warm and thick, just like a domestic cat. This, of course, is not so, but several curious facts are connected with these creatures.

1. Penguins are afraid of killer whales, and naturally, the latter hunt them with enthusiasm. When penguins don't know if they're around natural enemy, they crowd for a long time on the edge of the ice floe, until the most courageous member of the pack dares to dive. If he stays alive, the others follow (see killer whale facts).
2. Not all penguins live in polar latitudes. Galapagos penguins, for example, live on the islands of the same name, and in fact there the average annual temperature is about +18 degrees Celsius.
3. The largest penguins in the world are emperor penguins. Ten of the twelve months of the year they live in Antarctica (see Antarctic facts).
4. Penguins really do not freeze in cold water thanks to a thick layer of fat and feathers that fit tightly together.
5. Polar species of penguins can withstand temperatures down to -60 degrees
6. The legs of penguins also do not freeze, because the number of nerve endings in them is minimal.
7. Emperor penguins are monogamous, they pair up for life.
8. Penguins are very sensitive to their eggs. One day, a group of geologists stole an egg from them to eat it, but a flock of penguins began to pursue them. No, no plot for a horror movie - the penguins just silently followed the people. Geologists decided to give them the egg, after which the chase stopped.
9. Genuine penguins swim at speeds of over 35 kilometers per hour.
10. Penguins often move on slippery ice, lying on their stomachs and pushing off the surface with their wings and paws.
11. Penguins prefer to fish in the upper layers of the water, but if necessary, they are able to dive to a depth of 150-200 meters.
12. Penguins are the only birds in the world that can walk upright (see Bird Facts).
13. Not all penguins are harmless cuties. Stone penguins, for example, have a rather aggressive disposition. They can easily attack any object that they do not like.
14. Once a year, penguins grow new feathers, getting rid of old ones.
15. Penguins do not need fresh water - they are able to drink salty sea water, as special glands in their bodies filter out salt.
16. Emperor penguins hunt on average once every two weeks, eating to satiety. During this break, they can lose up to half of their mass.
17. In penguin flocks, experienced old males teach the young to hunt.
18. The most common penguins in the world are golden-haired. There are about twenty million of them.
19. All species of penguins live in large colonies, except for one - the magnificent penguins that live in New Zealand.
20. In emperor penguins, eggs are incubated not by females, but by males.
21. Expressing tender feelings, the male of the spectacled penguin carefully strokes his female on the head with his wing.
22. Penguins just seem clumsy. Yes, on land it is true, but in the water they turn out to be surprisingly agile and agile creatures.
23. Antarctic penguins build their nests using rocks and earth as building materials.
24. Of all the penguin species, the magnificent penguins love water the least. They spend most of their lives on land.
25. All penguins have a black back. This allows you to better attract all the heat - black, as you know, contributes to heat.
26. penguin symbol operating system linux.

Many of us have known penguins since childhood - from numerous cartoons. It's time to learn some interesting facts about penguins.

Most of them are inhabitants southern hemisphere. But some of their representatives are also found on the Galapagos Islands nearby the equator, and even near the city of Sydney in Australia.

The unusual ability to stand and walk vertically to penguins is provided by their paws, equipped with skin membranes.

These same paws, as well as wings, shaped like an oar, allow them to swim perfectly.

King penguins have proven to be excellent divers. To obtain food, they reach depths of up to 100 meters, and individual record holders are able to dive to a 200-meter mark.

The penguin subspecies, which grow long yellow feathers around their eyes, has a hot temperament and often jumps over rocks. For this unusual habit they are called rocky.

Among all types of penguins, king penguins stand out for their height and size. With growth up to 1.1 meters, they weigh 27-41 kg.

The Papuan penguins are considered the record holders for swimming speed among penguins, striking in their ability to reach a speed of movement of 36 km / h.

King penguin chicks hatch completely naked from their eggs. They grow the first feathers in a few weeks. Special waterproof feathers in young penguins appear at the age of about one year and before that they live with their parents.

Speaking about interesting facts about penguins, we note that they are the only representatives of the order of birds that cannot fly. They can only swim and walk while standing.

But Patagonian penguins are known for their ability to swim for 2-3 weeks, covering a distance of up to one and a half thousand kilometers.

An interesting and touching video about a boy and his penguin friend, see: