What a day for Penguins
What did you do for World Penguin Day? This is the day the Adelie penguins march north (to a warmer climate) and the sea. Penguins are mostly found in the southern hemisphere with only the Galápagos penguin dwelling north of the equator. A unique adaptive feature among penguins is that they produce oil from a gland that makes their feathers waterproof. Being a bird, penguins don a thick coat of feathers that help them keep warm during the harsh winters in the southern-most parts of the planet. For extra protection, penguins spread oils on their feathers that come from a gland called the preen gland. Once a year they get a ‘catastrophic molt’ wherein they shed all their feathers to grow new ones. The overall process typically takes around 2-3 weeks, and during these ‘bad hair’ days, the penguins are not waterproof. Therefore, these flightless birds do not eat anything but wait for the new feathers to jump back to water and gain back the lost weight.
Penguins can swim at very high-speed thanks to a unique ‘bubble boost’, wherein penguins release bubbles by fluffing their feathers and hence reducing the density of the water around them. They also have a layer of fat around their body, which makes them more buoyant. Penguins can dive up to 150 feet deep and stay underwater for up to 20 minutes. Some Penguins spend one-half to three-quarters of their lives at sea. When preparing for a dive, the emperor penguin can accelerate its heart rate to 250 beats per minute, which pumps oxygen throughout its body. Once submerged, it can conserve oxygen by slowing its heart down to 6 beats per minute. When seaborn, Magellanic penguins can roam up to 10,000 miles searching for food.
Penguins are one of a few animals who can drink saltwater. a special gland filters the excess salt from the blood, and the extra salt is secreted as a fluid from its nose. Adult penguins are countershaded (dark dorsal, light ventral) which helps to conceal swimming penguins from predators such as killer whales, sharks or leopard seals. When viewed from above, the dark dorsal side blends in with the darker ocean depths. When viewed from beneath, the light ventral side helps in with the lighter surface of the sea. Antarctic species of penguins can move quickly on ice by tobogganing on their bellies using their flippers and feet to help propel them along. And they look great in commercials.
Upright Humor while waddling
A penguin walks into a Bar
Asks the bartender “Have you seen my brother?”
Bartender responds, “What’s he look like?’
When I become a lawyer, I want to defend a penguin.
Just so I can say the words: “Your Honor, clearly my client is not a flight risk.”
What’s the difference between a white penguin and a black penguin?
White penguins are walking towards you and black ones are walking away.
I used to love telling jokes about penguins and ostriches
But it turns out they don’t really fly around here.
April 26th Birthdays
1971 – Melania Trump, 2000 – Keara Graves, 1934 – Carol Burnett, 1983 – Jessica Lynch
1874 – Robert Frost, 1981 – Channing Tatum, 1966 – Kevin James, 1971 – Jet Li