Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

 

Adelie Penguin Facts

Adelie Penguin - Pygoscelis adeliae

Adelie Penguin Description

You can’t help but absolutely adore the Adelie Penguin, with its short and round body as well as the tuxedo look with black and white. They often appear to be eating too much due to how round they are, but they need the layers of blubber which is fat to keep them warm enough. They are the smallest species of penguin out there but there they have plenty to offer in spite of that.

The Adelie Penguin has some great markings that help to identify them. First, they have white rings around their eyes and on the tip of their bill. The beak is red with a black tip. You will notice that they feature a tail which is longer than other species, and that helps them to keep their balance.

Adelie Penguin Anatomy

They only weigh about 15 pounds when they are full grown, but the fact that Adelie Penguins are about 30 inches tall is why they seem to be more than that when you look at them. They do seem out of proportion due to the shortness of them when you compare them to other penguins. They also have feet which are different from others, in order to help them successfully grip the ice so that they don’t fall.

Adelie Penguin Evolution

There are some theories about the evolution of these penguins out there that have been going strong for a very long time. However, they do remain as theories because that information hasn’t been fully proven yet. There have been successful DNA tests though on remains dating about 6,000 years ago. They indicate that these penguins are closely related to other species. Perhaps icebergs moved and separated them from the other colonies so they formed their own adaptations over time which set them apart.

These birds are believed to once have been able to fly. However, for some reason or another they were in need of living off the water and so those wings changed into something that allowed them to be able to survive in the water. Through this transformation though they lost the ability to fly. Most people are willing to accept this theory due to the facts we have relating to other animals and their evolution process.

Adelie Penguin Behavior

They are considered to be one of the most social types of penguins out there. They live in extremely large colonies in tight clusters. When you observe them for a period of time you will notice that they have smaller groups that have formed within that larger one. They are very playful on a regular basis including communicating with sounds, touching, and sliding on the ice.

These types of silly acts though such as sliding are more than just playing. They allow the Adelie Penguins a successful way to move around on the ice without using more energy than they have to. Still, it is extremely fun to watch and one of the reasons whey many tourists love to see them in their natural habitat.

Adelie Penguin Habitat and Distribution

If you want to see them in their natural habitat, you will need to travel to the Antarctic. Here the waters are extremely cold and there are huge blocks of ice. They live on land around Ross Island, in Ross Sea, and walk around on the ice. They can even be seen sunbathing on them because they enjoy soaking up the sunlight.

Adelie Penguin Feeding Habits

For such little animals though they certainly do consume large amounts of food. Their diet consists of krill, silverfish, crustaceans, and even small squid. They will consume a great deal of food in an attempt to store up fat for the winter months. They have been documented getting food on the surface, diving up to 600 feet to get it, and even traveling as much as 100 miles a day for it.

Adelie Penguin Reproduction

The reproduction process is very complex and you have to respect them after you learn about it. They will walk for many miles on a journey to reach the breeding grounds. Here they meet up with penguins from about 38 colonies to find a mate to pair off with. The exact criteria for how they choose their mate isn’t fully know. However, it is believed that they do so based on physical appearance and the calls that are made.

The pair have a great deal of work to do as a team. Before the egg emerges they will create a nest for it to be deposited in. They will use what they can find including sticks, rocks, and other items to make it. There is often plenty of fighting for those supplies though as they aren’t always in ample supply.

Once the egg is deposited the male will stay with it while they female goes to find food. She can be gone for up to a week before she comes to give him a chance to go feed. This is why it is so important for them to store up fat during the summer so that they can live for long periods without food in the winter time during this process.

The egg will emerge about March, and then they need to take turns feeding it as well. The young won’t be able to get their own food for about 2 months, as they don’t have enough oil on their feathers to protect them until then. Feeding the young is important so that they are strong enough to being the journey back home. More than half of the new offspring will die during this movement though due to not enough food, not being strong enough, the cold, or predators.

Adelie Penguin Predators

The Adelie Penguin has to deal with both land and water predators out there. They have skua on land that will take any opportunity to get those eggs. Should the male or female not get back to the nest fast enough the other partner will be forced to leave the egg alone in search for food. Otherwise they will die.

The water holds two big threats for them – the Leopard Seal who is very aggressive and can even cut through sheets of ice to reach them and the Killer Whale who they can’t get away from. Both of these predators are responsible for the death of a large amount of Adelie Penguins annually.

What about humans? While they aren’t out there hunting these animals they have certainly created enough problems for them. In fact, there are now plenty of conservation efforts in place as about 65% of them have died in the past 25 years. There are 5 million remaining which may seem like a lot, but not when they are dying at such an alarming rate out there.

Humans create problems for them through pollution, invading their natural habitat, and global warming. Learning about ways to offset the damages and to prevent more problems in the future is key to helping the Adelie Penguins have a future. You can go online to find out how you can help to aid such efforts. Right now education is important too. Many people think there isn’t a problem when they see how many of there are out there. Yet when you compare that to just a couple of decades ago you can see there is definitely a concern.

 

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Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin

 

Emperor Penguin Facts

Emperor Penguin - Aptenodytes forsteri

 

Emperor Penguin Description

There are many things about the Emperor Penguin that set it apart form other species. They have a very basic look to them, black in the back with white in the belly area. However, they also have some unusual coloring that is bright yellow and orange on the breast and their ears. If you remember that description you will be able to easily identify this type of penguin anywhere.

Emperor Penguin Anatomy

Once you see the body of an Emperor Penguin, you will see what all the talk is about. They are long and slender, with a height of up to 48 inches. They only weigh about 85 pounds so they don’t appear as round as other species. Being tall also helps them to move around easier, both in the water and when they walk on land. There is plenty of other great things to learn about their anatomy though as well.

Most penguins that live in cold regions have a thick middle due to the layers of blubber that they need to stay warm enough. There are such layers on the Emperor Penguin but not as many. Instead they are able to help regulate their metabolism which is a characteristic that most researchers are very impressed by. They want to find out more about how these animals are able to reduce their metabolism to only allow their necessary body functions to be performed at times.

They also have the ability to survive on much less air than other penguins. In fact, this ability allows them to get air from pockets under the ice instead of having to go the surface all the time. This is a great way for them to save their energy as well.

Emperor Penguin Evolution

We still don’t know all the information about how the Emperor Penguin came to be what we know them as today. They have evolved over the years, but how did they do so and what were they once? What the most common theory is though is that they were separated by icebergs that shifted or broke away from other penguins. They also needed to be able to get food from the water so their wings transformed to those that help them in the water instead of for flying.

Emperor Penguin Behavior

They are wonderful animals to watch, and people get a thrill out of the way that they interact. They are extremely social and love gathering in small groups within the larger colony. Even when they have more room to spread out they don’t because they like to be close to each other. This also offers them more protection from various land predators.

There is plenty of chatter among a colony of Emperor Penguins, and understanding what it all means is still a huge mystery to researchers. They do know the basics of some of it but there are too many different sounds used for communication for them to fully grasp it just yet.

What is very interesting is that these penguins are able to pick up on the sounds from their offspring and mates above all of the others. Even the young quickly learn to hear the sounds of their parents without being confused by all the other penguins around them.

Emperor Penguin Habitat and Distribution

The only place that they live in a natural environment is Antarctica. That is right, the coldest place on Earth is very comfortable to the Emperor Penguins. They are able to survive in these frigid areas due to the ability that they have to control their metabolism. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to stay there in the cold and to live for the warmer months. Of course, even what is warm in the Antarctic is still too cold for most people and animals out there.

Emperor Penguin Feeding Habits

These penguins consume quite a bit of food when they can. Their goal is to store as much fat as they can for the winter months. During that period of time they won’t be able to get it as much as before, and they are going to need it if they are going to survive. I will explain more about that soon. Some sources of food that they enjoy include krill and other crustaceans, squid, and a variety of fish.

They tend to stick to the surface of the water to consume what they can there. This prevents them from using up additional energy to dive and to come up for air. However, they will dive up to an amazing 1,700 feet in order to find food if they need to. They are extremely fast and they can remain without more air for about 20 minutes.

Emperor Penguin Reproduction

If you want to explore all of the journey of them for reproduction, you should watch the March of the Penguins Documentary. These animals will walk for about 70 miles in the cold and often with little or no food. They do so in order to reach the breeding grounds where they will mate. Those that don’t have a mate will find one and that is who they will remain with for the rest of their life.

The process of getting the offspring here is difficult for them as well. The female will lay an egg but it doesn’t get placed into a nest as other species of penguins do. Instead she will rapidly move it to the male who will protect it with his body. If they aren’t skilled in this the egg may get too much exposure and the offspring will never hatch from it.

After the egg has been given to the male partner, the females will go on a journey to eat. They will be gone for about two months before they return to care for the young. During this time the males are without food and they with huddle together in an effort to stay warm. They will be close to exhaustion, and close to dying without food during this period of time. They will immediately go in search of food when their female partner returns.

Not all of the young though will make it back to their home with the parents. They can die due to the cold, not being strong enough, or predators. It is a very difficult and long journey for the adults and even harder for their young offspring. They will do all they can to encourage them to complete this journey with them though.

Emperor Penguin Predators

Even though they live in a very cold location, the Emperor Penguins do have some predators to be aware of. Birds are a common problem as they will steal the young as will skuas. In the water there are Leopard Seals and Orcas that the penguins are simply no match for at any age.

Humans don’t seem to be a big threat for the penguins due to where they live. However, there are some problems that they create such as global warming that melts the ice. There are also problems with pollution caused by humans. Even so, these penguins have been able to continue to evolve and to thrive, making the most out of the environment around them. Those that can avoid predators generally have a life span of about 20 years.

 

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