Habits
Penguins walk with a clumsy waddle. When traveling on ice, they often throw themselves down on their bellies and slide. In water, penguins are swift and graceful. They swim with their flipperlike wings, using their feet as rudders. Some can swim at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). Penguins can dive to great depths. The emperor penguin can dive the deepest—to depths of more than 1,700 feet (518 m). Some penguins stay at sea for weeks at a time. Penguins eat only when at sea, feeding on fish, squid, and such crustaceans as shrimp.
Penguins swim with their flipperlike wings, using their feet as rudders.Penguins are sociable birds, gathered by the thousands in small nesting areas. The females lay one or two white or pale-green eggs. Most species lay their eggs in crude nests on the ground or in burrows. The nests may be built of smooth stones or lined with sticks or grass. Male and female usually take turns incubating the eggs—a period varying from 30 to 60 days according to the species—and caring for the young. While incubating its eggs, a penguin does not eat. Most penguins return to the same mates every year.
Emperor penguins, which breed in the Antarctic, do not build nests but lay their eggs on the bare ground or ice. They incubate their eggs by carrying them on their feet, protected by a fold of skin. The emperor is unique in some of its breeding habits. The female turns her single egg over to the male a few hours after she lays it. The male incubates it for the entire period of about two months. He is able to fast by living off a reserve store of fat. The emperor is the only bird that breeds and incubates its eggs in the Antarctic winter. Temperatures during this period often fall to -60° F. (-51° C.).
Penguins find all their food in the sea. They eat mostly fish and squid, which they catch in their sharp beaks. They also eat crustaceans (kruhs TAY shuhnz), such as crabs, shrimp, and krill.
When a penguin is at sea, it usually eats as much as it can. A large penguin can collect up to 30 fish in one dive. That’s a big dinner!
Since they don’t have teeth, penguins use their beaks to grab and hold wriggling prey. Spines on the roof of a penguin’s beak help this bird get a good grip on its slippery food. Penguins even have spines on their tongues.
Penguins swallow pebbles and stones as well as their regular food. Why? Even scientists aren’t sure of the main reason. The stones may help penguins grind up and digest their food. And the stones may add enough extra weight to help penguins when they want to dive down deep.
All adult penguins have dark backs and white or yellowish-white fronts. Their dark backs are usually black. However, their beaks, necks, and feet may be brightly colored. Some penguins also have colorful crests of feathers on their heads.
A penguin’s coloring comes in very handy. It camouflages (KAM uh flahzh uhz) the bird, or helps it blend in with its surroundings. A school of fish swimming above a penguin may not even notice the bird. That’s because the penguin’s dark back blends in with the dark waters below it. An enemy or prey may not see a penguin swimming above it either. That’s because the penguin’s pale belly blends with the bright light of the sky or ice above it.
A penguin’s dark back may also keep it from getting too cold. Dark colors soak in, or absorb, sunlight. Scientists think penguins may use their backs to get warmer when they float on their stomachs in cold seas.
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