As the most adorable pet in the animal world, penguins are captivating with their quirky little heads, swaying, slightly goofy movements, and chubby, goofy looks. These naturally adorable penguins have many interesting stories behind them. On World Penguin Day, let’s get closer to the world of penguins and unlock interesting facts about penguins!

Are all penguins black and white?

Although commonly seen penguins are mainly black and white, with a black back and white chest and abdomen. But penguins are not just black and white. There are currently 18 species of penguins in the world, and different penguin species have different fur colors.

Emperor penguins are the largest species in the penguin family. They are generally more than 90 centimeters tall and can reach up to 120 centimeters. They are also the penguins that live in the highest latitudes and coldest areas of Antarctica. Its morphological characteristic is that there is an orange-yellow feather under the neck, which gradually becomes lighter downwards, and is the deepest behind the ears, making it look graceful and luxurious.

Adélie penguins have white eye circles, a blue-green head, a black beak, and slender feathers at the corners of the beak. They are highly skilled swimmers and can reach top speeds of 70 kilometers per hour.

The little blue penguin, which is found in South Australia, New Zealand, and Chile, is the smallest species in the penguin family. It is generally 43 centimeters tall and weighs about 1 kilogram. The male is slightly larger than the female. The little blue penguin has blue feathers and is the only penguin with blue feathers, so it is very recognizable.

Are there penguins only in Antarctica?

Penguins are usually regarded as the symbol of Antarctica, but in fact, penguins are distributed in a small range in temperate zones and even near the equator.

Galapagos penguins (also called Galapagos penguins) are the only penguins that live near the equator. They are not much different from penguins living in Antarctica. They also do not have sweat glands to help dissipate heat. , and no special organs have evolved. Because of this, maintaining a cool body temperature is a very difficult problem for the island penguins.

They look for food in cold water during the day and use the cold water to maintain body temperature; they spend their nights on land. In very hot temperatures, they will pant quickly like dogs to release body heat. heat or jump directly into the water.

A bird that can swim?

Penguins are one of the oldest swimming birds. Before Earth was armored in ice, it may have made its home in Antarctica. Antarctica has vast land, wide oceans, and abundant floating salt glands, which can excrete excess salt.

Penguin eyes can see underwater and on the water surface because their corneas are flat, and the eyes can transmit images to the brain for long-distance imaging integration, thereby achieving long-distance imaging capabilities.

Can penguins still "walk" like this?

The penguins’ unique skills in “walking around the world” are not limited to walking. On smoother ice and snow, penguins actually prefer to "slide". The streamlined body of penguins provides them with good gliding conditions. Coupled with the smooth down that can help reduce resistance, the flippers that assist balance, and the sharp claws that provide forward momentum, penguins can be said to be masters of "gliding".

If they encounter rocky terrain that is difficult to walk and glide on, penguins will also jump on the rugged mountainous terrain. Their fat bodies are very flexible and extremely cute.

A festival that evolved because of “being on time”?

Why is World Penguin Day set on April 25? There's a lot going on here. It is said that on April 25th every year, Adélie penguins will migrate collectively from south to north in order to better obtain food when the sea ice expands in winter, waiting to return to the coastal beaches of Antarctica to nest in summer. This happens every year, especially Be punctual.

To commemorate this phenomenon, penguin enthusiasts set April 25 every year as "World Penguin Day" to encourage people to understand the environmental threats penguins face today and call on people to protect the environment.

Today, as temperatures continue to rise, the amount of ice lost from the Antarctic ice sheet each year increased at least sixfold between 1979 and 2017. Penguins' primary habitats are shrinking significantly. Although our understanding of penguins still needs to be deepened, we can protect them by starting from the little things around us!