Did you know that penguins can get divorced and they can't taste their food.
we'll share 12 penguin facts that are sure to keep you iglooed to the screen let's get started our first penguin fact is that there are 18 different types of penguins although king and emperor penguins are the most recognizable there are actually 18 different species of penguins the smallest is the little penguin at just 40 centimeters tall whilst the largest is the emperor penguin which is three times the height at 115 centimeters and more than 30 times as heavy.
Fact number two not all penguins live in cold places penguins live all across the southern hemisphere including antarctica sub-antarctic islands south america africa australia and new zealand the most northerly penguins are a small colony of galapagos penguins which live in the galapagos islands just off the coast of ecuador fact number three they are black and white for camouflage penguins might look like they're wearing tuxedos but their black and white color is to keep them hidden from predators whilst swimming in the ocean it's a technique called counter shading when seen from below their white front blends in with the light coming from the surface waters above but when seen from above their black back also blends in with the darkness from the deeper waters below some species also have golden yellow feathers on the crest of their head or their neck or orange feathers on their chest this makes them more desirable to potential mates when baby penguins are first born they have different colored feathers to their parents this is because they cannot swim in the ocean at such a young age or they'll risk hypothermia so they do not require camouflage like their parents fact number four penguins are carnivores but they can't taste meat the diet of a penguin will vary between species and location but it typically includes fish squid and small crustaceans such as krill however scientists discovered that penguins only have two out of five taste receptors compared to us humans these are sour and salty this means that penguins are unable to taste sweet bitter or umami flavors which is unusual for a carnivore since umami is what gives meat its meaty taste but since they swallow their food whole this is no problem for the penguin although they eat their food at sea they can also store some in their stomach where it will be refrigerated at body temperature they can then regurgitate this for their chicks back at the nest.
Do penguins have tails?
Yes A penguin's tail is short, and wedge-shaped, with fourteen to 18 stiff tail feathers. Adélie, gentoo, and chinstrap penguins (collectively known as brush-tailed penguins) have longer tail feathers, which penguin often use as a prop when on land.
fact number five penguins can drink salt water thanks to a special gland penguins have a salt gland near their eye which removes salt from their blood the salt is then excreted through the nostrils on their beak by sneezing or shaking their heads this allows penguins to drink salt water and eat prey that is high in salt such as marine invertebrates fact number six penguins originated in australia and new zealand although we might mostly associate penguins with antarctica they originated in australia and new zealand around 22 million years ago since then many subgroups have diverged from the original penguin as shown here initially the aptenodites group migrated to antarctica and now includes king and emperor penguins this was followed by more subgroups once the drake passage opened up and they were able to move further across the ocean fact number seven they take lots of 10-minute naps throughout the night and day penguins are polyphasic instead of taking one big block of sleep like humans they take many smaller naps throughout the day and night these naps will typically be less than 10 minutes and reduces the risk of predators sneaking up on them they can sleep on land standing up with their beak tucked behind one of their flippers or in the water where they will float near the top using their fat to stay buoyant the humboldt penguin can sleep with one eye open too this is known as unilateral eye closure and involves resting only half of their brain at one time.
fact number eight emperor penguins huddle together for warmth emperor penguins breed in antarctica during the cold winter so keeping themselves and the eggs warm can be a challenge to achieve this they form a large huddle which can be as large as 5000 birds they can be crammed in at 10 to 12 penguins per square meter this helps maintain a temperature as warm as 30 degrees centigrade in the center compared to -40 outside cold penguins will push their way towards the center where the warmer penguins will move out to make room for them working together retains heat and reduces the amount of energy they consume whilst incubating the eggs as they cannot eat during this period fact number nine penguins aren't loyal to their partners and they can get divorced penguins are monogamous which means they have one partner per breeding season however they do not mate for life and some even engage in extra pair copulation which is the scientific way of saying that they cheat on their partner when penguins choose a different partner for the next breeding cycle despite their previous partner being alive and present this is known as a penguin divorce however not all penguins take this lightly and it can result in fighting between the females the original mate usually wins her guy back fact number 10 penguins can dive as deep as 500 meters penguins spend up to 75 percent of their lives in the sea and often don't visit land for months on end this is why they are excellent swimmers and divers they have streamlined bodies flippers which they use like propellers and webbed feet emperor penguins are the deepest divers they regularly dive to around 300 meters and can hold their breath for seven minutes fact number 11 it's illegal to hunt or kill penguins penguins are well protected from hunting with many international and domestic laws this includes the antarctic treaty which was created in 1959 and has now been signed by 54 countries the environmental part of the treaty also ensures protection for all species south of 60 degrees south including penguins fact number 12 some penguins are endangered there are 30 to 31 million penguins in the world according to the latest estimates although they are not at risk of extinction 5 out of 18 species are classified as endangered by the iucn these are the yellow-eyed penguins galapagos penguins erect crested penguins african penguins and the northern rockhopper penguins a further seven are vulnerable or near threatened and the remaining are at least a concern the reasons for endangerment vary among the species but can be summarized as climate change poaching industrial fishing practices oil spills and disease.
