Antarctic penguins are the most graceful animals in the world.

They belong to birds, but they can't fly. They often walk in the ice and snow at minus 6℃ with gentlemanly steps. Penguins are egg-laying animals, and male penguins only lay one egg at a time.

However, the six-week incubation task is undertaken by the male penguin. Its abdomen is like an incubator at 34℃, so don't worry that penguin eggs will freeze here.

During this period, the father penguin has to endure starvation. For the sake of his baby, he can't jump into the sea to fish to satisfy his hunger. All his energy is taken from the fat stored in his body. Who can not say that he is the greatest "father" in the world? So what did mother penguin do at this time? She went to store the baby's food

She swam in the warmer, fishy sea and swallowed a lot of fish, forming a thick layer of fat in her body. Before the chick hatched, the mother would rush back to the baby with a sense of time.

Mother's stomach stores a lot of semi-digested fish, and food is prepared for the penguin baby. There are about 2.5 million penguins in the world, and there are 18 species.

These animals are very human. They are monogamous, and they will stay together for life and be loyal forever. The way of communication between them is through sound, for example, quacking means happiness, * * * means chatting after dinner, and a shrill voice means warning.

Adult penguins are generally 1.2 meters tall and weigh 3 kilograms. In order to resist the cold, a penguin eats 6 kilograms of fish every day. Little penguins can swim in the sea when they are one year old, and the life span of penguins is usually 7-15 years.

Penguins are the best snorkelers in Antarctica. Although they walk to swing, in the water, their feet are "engines" that can dive into the water for 5 meters at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

because they have two airbags, they can dive for up to 2 minutes. Their feathers are hard and smooth, like a diving suit.

Penguins mainly live in Antarctica. If a cold current strikes, they will huddle together tightly and look like a black carpet from a distance. It is because of this collective spirit that they are regarded as very intelligent animals.

Penguins who are not afraid of the cold can stop breathing and stay underwater for a moment in the cold water around the Antarctic continent, and sometimes they can dive as deep as 5 meters. They can dive like this hundreds of times a day without any damage to their bodies. Penguins have amazing ability to regulate metabolism.

Only essential parts of the whole body are working, and the metabolism of other parts is very smooth. Scientists put sensors on a dozen species of penguins living in the waters between Antarctica and Africa, and they got some very surprising figures.

The normal temperature of a penguin is 38℃. After diving, its abdominal temperature drops to 11℃, while its stomach temperature remains above 3℃. The fish eaten by a penguin is very cold (only 4-5℃), which leads to the drop of its body temperature, while its stomach temperature remains unchanged. So far, people can't give a satisfactory explanation for this.

The researcher in charge of this work explained: "There is another solution to this mystery: conditioned hypothermia related to diving. Penguin's body tissue seems to use its own energy perfectly. It uses blood to coordinate all parts of body activity: brain, heart, muscles that produce thrust, etc. At the same time, the activities of other tissues are very gentle, so these tissues produce less energy and the temperature is naturally lower. "

The researcher went on to say, "This phenomenon is well known. For example, this phenomenon can also be observed in hibernating early otters.

But contrary to this sleepy mammal, penguins are very active. After each dive, it goes back to the surface to rest for a minute, and then dives underwater to fish.

It repeats this action for about 1 hours, and can do it hundreds of times a day. " Penguin is an indigenous inhabitant of the Antarctic, and people call it the symbol of the Antarctic, which is well deserved.

First, because of the large number, high density and wide distribution of penguins, it has been found that there are about 1 million penguins in the Antarctic region, accounting for 1/1 of the total number of seabirds in the world, and they are found on the coast of the Antarctic continent and the islands in the sub-Antarctic region. The first thing people notice when they land in Antarctica is the swarms of penguins all over the mountains. Penguins bring vitality to Antarctica, a cold and lonely world of ice and snow.

Second, because the penguin looks lovely, especially its dignified, polite and gentlemanly manner, which leaves a deep impression on people. Third, because penguins have been in the Antarctic for generations, they have exercised and created a hard work to adapt to the harsh environment in Antarctica-the special physiological function of low temperature tolerance.

Fourth, because of the unique living habits of penguins, such as male penguins incubating eggs and chick kindergartens, it has long been passed down as a much-told story and an interesting talk. Fifth, because penguins are a symbol of cold, people think of the world's cold pole-Antarctica when they see penguins.

it is no wonder that the products of the cold drink industry in the world often use penguins as trademarks. In midsummer, when you see penguins, you will feel cool and refreshing. It is the mysterious world of Antarctica that gave birth to such a strange "resident".

Antarctic penguins, like polar bears, have become well-known representative animals. Where is the hometown of Antarctic penguins? Can the ancestors of penguins fly? What is the evolution of penguins and so on? The origin of penguins is a subject that biologists are discussing and studying, and it is still a mystery so far.

However, there is a saying that penguins in Antarctica originated from a flying animal during the breakup of Gondwana. About 2 million years ago, Gondwana began to split and disintegrate, and the Antarctic continent separated and began to drift south.

At this time, there happened to be a group of flying animals flying over the ocean. They found the drifting Antarctic continent, so they circled and watched, and finally they decided to land on this land. At first, they had a very happy life there, with plenty of food and clothing.

However, the good times did not last long. As the mainland went south, it became colder and colder. They wanted to fly and had nowhere to fly. They were surrounded by vast ice and snow fields, so they had no choice but to stay in this land. Soon the Antarctic continent reached the polar region, and after a long time, it was finally covered with thick ice and snow. The original lush creatures died in large numbers, and only the ancestor of penguins, a flying animal, survived.

However, they have changed completely, from being able to fly to not being able to fly, and from the original broad and fluffy feathers to fine needles.

2. Knowledge about Penguins

Penguins (scientific name: Spheniscidae): Penguins with the reputation of "boats of the sea" are the oldest kind of swimming birds, and they probably settled in Antarctica before the earth put on ice armor. There are 18 species of penguins in the world, most of which are distributed in the southern hemisphere. Mainly living in the southern hemisphere, belonging to Penguina, Penguinidae. Characterized by not being able to fly; Feet are born in the lowest part of the body, so they are in an upright position; There are webbed toes; Plantar mobility (other birds land on their toes); The forelimbs are finned; Feathers are short to reduce friction and turbulence; A layer of air remains between the feathers to keep them warm. The back is black and the abdomen is white. The main differences among species are head color and individual size.

Penguins can live and breed in the cold of -6℃. On land, it is like a western gentleman in a tuxedo, walking, swaying, encountering danger, falling and climbing, and flustered. But in the water, the penguin's short wings become a pair of powerful "paddles", and the swimming speed can reach 25-3 kilometers per hour. You can swim 16 kilometers a day. Mainly feed on krill, squid and small fish.

Penguin * * * has 18 independent species, and the largest species is Emperor Penguin, with an average height of about 1.1 meters and a weight of over 35 kilograms. The smallest penguin species is Little Blue Penguin (also known as Fairy Penguin), which is 4cm high and weighs 1kg. It has its own unique structure. Penguin feathers are three to four times denser than birds of the same size. The function of these feathers is to regulate body temperature. Although penguins have basically the same feet as other flying birds, their bones are hard and their feet are short and flat. This feature, like the short wings of two paddles, enables penguins to "fly" under the water. Although the Antarctic is extremely cold, penguins have been tempered by tens of millions of years of snowstorms, and their feathers have become overlapping and closely connected scales. This special feather coat is not only difficult to soak in seawater, but also the temperature is nearly 1 degrees Celsius below zero, and it is impossible to break through its heat preservation defense line. Antarctic land is abundant, the sea surface is wide, and the abundant marine plankton has become an abundant food source for penguins.

Penguin is one of the oldest swimming birds. It probably settled in Antarctica before it put on its ice armor. Antarctica has a large land area and a wide sea surface, and abundant floating salt glands can excrete excess salt. Penguins have flat corneas, so they can see under the water and on the water. Both eyes can transmit images to the brain for telescopic integration, so that it can produce telescopic effect. Penguin is a kind of bird, so penguin has no teeth. Penguins have barbs on their tongues and maxilla to adapt to swallowing fish and shrimp, but these are not their teeth.

3. Little knowledge of penguin reproduction

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Penguin is the symbol of the South Pole. These arrogant "Antarctic gentlemen" with faltering gait and wearing tuxedos have thrived in this mysterious land of Antarctica for thousands of years.

Penguins can be said to be an ancient migratory bird. They settled in Antarctica before they were covered with ice armor. With the change of Antarctic climate, penguins have developed a set of skills to resist cold and snow. They either walk on the ice and snow or swim in the cold sea water, which has formed an indissoluble bond with the ice and snow. It is for this reason that penguins mainly live in the Antarctic continent and South shetland islands, but they also distribute northward with the cold current, reaching 17 degrees south latitude in Africa, 38 degrees south latitude in Australia, and some species can also extend to the equator in Latin America. Penguins are found on the coastal islands in southern South Africa, the southeast coast of Australia and the west coast of New Zealand, and even on the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador near the equator.

There are nearly 2 species of penguins in the world. There are 7 species in Antarctic continent, including Emperor Penguin, Adelie Penguin, Jintu Penguin, Cap Penguin, King Penguin, Rocky Penguin and Float Penguin, and the remaining 1 species are distributed on the southern coast and coastal islands of all continents.

Penguins are about 65cm long, with white and black feathers, white abdomen with one or two black stripes, and thick subcutaneous fat. The wings are finned and the feathers are small and scaly. Penguin breeding is carried out under extremely harsh climatic conditions. Penguin eggs are hatched by male penguins in winter when the temperature is as low as -6℃, and some of them are hatched in shifts. The incubation period is 2 months, starting in October and ending in the end of December. Penguins are famous for loving their sons in nests. Sometimes they steal their neighbors' eggs, occupy other penguins' nests, and take other chicks away to raise them. Therefore, penguins who are "parents" refuse to leave their children for a moment. The material used by the penguin to build its nest is the only pebble it can move. In order to build a nest with a diameter of about 1 cm, the penguin "couple" must look around for enough stones. Biologists believe that whether there are enough small stones is often a factor that restricts penguin reproduction. Penguins are very picky about where they live, and the best location is the center closest to the danger. Of course, the struggle is very fierce, and the newly joined penguins can only make their homes outside the habitat. In the brutal competition, male penguins often fight for nests. The female penguin, on the other hand, only needs to compete for the "lover" and everything will be ready. Every group of penguins always have some "bachelors" who can't find a partner. They can only wander around the island in a lonely and miserable way. Generally speaking, penguins have to wander for three years to build a relatively stable family. Penguins don't always practice monogamy, and the exchange of spouses happens from time to time. A lucky penguin can live to be 14 years old.

Penguins are physically strong, hardy and aggressive, which enable them to survive in the harsh natural conditions in Antarctica. Penguins also have natural enemies, and it is a skua. Skuas like to wander over penguins, looking for opportunities to get rid of eggs in their nests or kill young penguins. However, the behavior of the skua will always attract penguins to attack and make the skua flee.

penguins don't get lost. Scientists caught five adult penguins at the South Pole, marked them, and then moved them to a channel 19 kilometers away from their nesting sites and released them. Ten months later, they all returned to their original nesting sites. Penguins don't get lost because they use the sun as a beacon.

Penguins eat a lot of krill in their lifetime, and the food in their stomachs accounts for almost a quarter of their body weight. These foods are not only necessary for penguins to maintain the balance of energy budget in their bodies, but also show the sensitivity of penguins to external reactions. Penguins, like humans, belong to the top of the food chain. Once penguins are in a bad situation, such as the shortage of original food sources-krill and seaweed due to the influence of solar ultraviolet rays, penguins will find it difficult to find substitutes immediately. This phenomenon will make penguins face a serious threat. Tsunami is another big threat to penguins, and the wind and waves often hit the pebbles where penguins build their nests, so that their eggs are lost. In recent years, the increase in the number of walruses has also brought a lot of harassment to penguins' spawning.

4. knowledge about fairy penguins

fairy penguins, commonly known as "little penguins", are named after their light bodies. It is a famous penguin, which lives in the southern port city of Australia. It is light and agile, funny and lovely, and is very popular with people. Fairy penguins have strong organizational discipline and often queue up for progress. Its most famous place is that it has its own "biological clock" and can tell the time.

what's going on here? It turned out that in a city in southern Australia, a sign stood on the beach, which said, "Penguins landed on time at 8: 5 p.m." People didn't believe it at first. How can penguins know the time? But strangely enough, penguins always land at 8: 5 every day. The penguin landed in a funny way: first, a "leader" swaggered in the stormy waves, and then the "vanguard" landed smoothly. The troops at the back kept landing, which seemed so orderly. They are in a row of three or five, which is very neat. It takes about 4 minutes to land, and the scene is spectacular. People watching from the sidelines sometimes burst into laughter and sometimes danced with excitement.

Fairy penguins have low reproductive ability, only laying 2-3 eggs at a time, and the survival rate is high. Although there are many fairy penguins, and they are not rare animals, the number of fairy penguins is likely to decline, so we should still protect them, so that their cuteness will always exist and accompany us forever. Let's work hard!

5. Find out about penguins

Penguins (scientific name: Spheniscidae): Penguins with the reputation of "boats of the sea" are the oldest kind of swimming birds, and they probably settled in Antarctica before the earth put on ice armor.

There are 17 species of penguins in the world, most of which are distributed in the southern hemisphere. Mainly living in the southern hemisphere, belonging to Penguina, Penguinidae.

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