Penguins--Awesome Swimmers and Heroic Parents

Some people don't realize that penguins are birds. They don't look much like birds and they can't fly, but they are indeed awesome birds. They inhabit the southern hemisphere, from the Galapagos Islands to Antarctica.

Penguins have densely packed feathers to keep them warm in frigid water. These feathers also trap air that helps them swim. Their colors--white below and black on top--help hide them from predators while swimming.

Large emperor penguins can dive 565 m (1,870 ft) deep for up to 22 minutes while fishing. That is about 20 times deeper than you could go. And penguins, like whales, can somehow do this without getting the fatal divers' illness known as the bends.*

A penguin can drink sea water! (You must not.) The salt then comes out of its nose.

An emperor penguin chick spends the first two months of its life on its parents' feet. It is protected from the cold by a pouch of skin in the adult bird. If the little one falls off, it freezes to death in seconds.

Penguins mate for life. The father bird incubates his mate's eggs for 60 days, eating nothing and losing almost half his body weight. Meanwhile, the mother may travel up to 560 miles/ 900 kilometers on a single feeding trip to the sea. Then she somehow finds her way home to her own little family among the thousands of other birds.*

Do you agree that penguins display the work of God?

(Watch one penguin escape from killer whales with the YouTube link to the right.)

Quiz (Answers below)

---In the two * sentences, what is the meaning of the word somehow?

Vocabulary---choose the right definition

frigid :___clear___extremely cold___salty

dive :___suit___ swim___go down head first

chick : ___baby bird___ mate___ fish

incubates :___ eats___ hides___ keeps warm

---Is a predator a friend or an enemy?

---What is the word for a penguin's husband or wife?

See if you can remember or figure out which words would fill in the blanks below:

Penguins __________ the southern hemisphere. Densely packed _________ keep them warm in _______ water. Large emperor penguins can _______ 565 m (1,870 ft) deep for up to 22 minutes while fishing. That is about 20 _______ deeper _____ you could go. And penguins, like ________, can somehow do this _________ getting the divers' illness _______ as the bends.

An emperor penguin ______ spends the first two months ___ its _____ on its parents' feet. It is protected from the cold by a pouch of _____ in the adult bird. If ____ little one ______ off, it freezes to death ___ seconds. ____ father bird incubates ____ mate's eggs for 60 days, eating nothing and _______ almost half his body ________. Meanwhile, the mother ____ travel up to 560 miles/ 900 kilometers on __ single feeding _____ to the sea. Then she somehow ______ her way home to her ____chick and her lifetime mate.

____________________________________________________________________________

*What are three things a penguin can do that you cannot?

Answers:

Somehow indicates that it is a mystery: no one can explain how or why it happens

frigid : extremely cold ; dive: go down head first ; chick: baby bird ; incubates: keeps warm / enemy; mate

*1) Lay eggs; 2) dive deep; 3) drink sea water; 4) live outdoors and swim in Antarctica without special equipment; 5) go 60 days without food
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sources:
If Animals Could Talk by Dr. Werner Gitt
Wikipedia