The penguin, which has about 20 species, lives only in the Southern Hemisphere. There are only three species of penguins on the coast of Antarctica: the Imperial penguin, the Antarctic penguin and the Adelie penguin. Antarctic species are adapted to life in the harshest conditions.
Other penguin species live outside of continental Antarctica — on subantarctic islands, the coasts of South America and Africa, Australia, New Zealand and some other places. But they all adhere to similar rules of their lives.
- Take care of your swimming gear
“And I want to fly!” Photo: Dmitry Rezvov
Why would you fly if both your food and your enemies are floating in the sea? Remember: in order to row successfully, it is not enough to train the wings and make them practically inflexible, you also need to develop powerful muscles that will help overcome water resistance. The pectoral muscles should make up up to 30% of the body weight — several times more than in flying birds.
The paws at the end of the body serve as a wonderful steering wheel. Let the gait be funny and waddling — it’s not that important. The main thing is that there will be enough slight movement of the fins in the water to maneuver easily and deftly. It’s easier to catch fish or krill this way, and it’s also easier to get away from killer whales, sea lions, leopards and other predators.
The streamlined body and the feathers, which on closer inspection look more like scales, serve the same purpose. Do not forget to lubricate them with special fat, which is produced by a special gland, so you will increase the streamlining even more, and it will help protect you from frost. The color of the bathing suit is very important to you: the light bottom, when viewed from the appropriate angle, resembles the sky, and the dark top allows you to visually merge with the surface of the bottom and it is more difficult for predators to notice you from above.
- Take care of the warmth
For this, a black tailcoat will also serve well, because this color attracts the sun’s rays. It is important not only to lubricate the feathers with fat, but also to accumulate a layer of it under the skin — 2-3 cm will be enough. While you’re sunbathing, fluff and comb your feathers along the way — the air layer will also help keep you warm. And during swimming, it will come in handy: under the influence of pressure, air bubbles will escape, giving the body additional acceleration.
- Master different swimming styles
For example, “dolphin”, in which you have to abruptly surface and fly some distance above the water, after which you dive into it again. If the average speed, depending on the size of the species, ranges from 5 km/h to 12 km/h and does not exceed 20 km/h in a normal swim, this method allows you to accelerate to 36 km/h. The ability to jump out of the water is also useful for going ashore — a self-respecting penguin is able to jump 1.8 m out of the water.
Train hard — you will need to swim about many kilometers per day, otherwise you will not be able to get the right amount of food. If you’re a fish—loving species, like anchovies or sardines, you’ll need a lot more energy and agility. You will be considered a successful hunter if you can “catch” a fish at least once in ten attempts.
- Improve your deep-sea diving technique
Here, each species has its own “standards”. It is enough for a small penguin to be able to dive to a depth of 70 m if necessary and stay underwater for over a minute. Papuan should already be showing a result of 100 m. The royal demand is even higher, it should be able to dive to 230 m, and the imperial — to all 265 m. The time spent underwater is also different for him: the “record” was 18 minutes.
When diving, look carefully around, as your pupil is able to contract and stretch very quickly, so that the eye adapts to the light conditions at depth with lightning speed. Predators do not doze underwater! Don’t forget to cover your ears with special feathers — you don’t want water to run into them!
- Do not neglect therapeutic fasting
Sometimes it’s useful to fast, however, you won’t be able to avoid starvation anyway. Once a season, you’ll have to shed your feathers, but once you shed your feathers, you won’t be able to swim and feed. Depending on your appearance, you will have to go without food for from a month to three. During this time, you will be able to lose weight twice, although then you will have to accumulate fat again by winter.
If you belong to Adelie penguins, imperial penguins, Antarctic penguins, or crested penguins, starvation will also have to be extended while the chicks are hatching. For subantarctic, magnificent (yellow-eyed), small and spectacled penguins, this is not necessary, the father and mother can go foraging, replacing each other on eggs.
- Don’t break away from the team.
Left, right, left, right! Photo: Marina Zaichenko
First, it will be possible to take the children “to the nursery”, and go hunting themselves. Secondly, it’s much warmer this way. Don’t forget to tread in the right direction — periodically, every penguin should be in the very center of the crowd to keep warm. It is also better to go out to the water en masse, especially in shallow water.
There may be danger lurking there, so it’s worth waiting and seeing what happens to the penguin who first enters the sea — what if a killer whale attacks him? Then fishing will have to be postponed. It’s also easier to drive prey in a flock — if you bring the fish down in a tight shoal, it will be easier to snatch your catch.
- Take care of harmony in the family
When courting, observe the traditions of the species. If you live in close quarters, like Antarctic or crested penguins, then you need to declare yourself loudly, and you shouldn’t be shy about relationships. For those who settle among dense vegetation, like magnificent or small penguins, it is decent to build nests away from each other and show reasonable restraint in public.
When hatching eggs, it is also necessary to follow the traditions of the species. The male must arrive at the colony before the female and occupy his territory in order to build a nest of soil and stones. The Emperor penguins don’t need this, they will keep the egg warm in a special pouch on their stomachs. The father of the emperor penguin is obliged to fully take over the upbringing of the heir while the mother swims in the sea and gains strength after the birth of the cub.
If you are one of the magnificent penguins, avoid “divorces”, otherwise they will look askance — representatives of this species rarely change partners. If you are an Adelie penguin, there is nothing wrong with trying to create a new family, as almost half of the individuals of this species do.
- Raise your cubs Spartanly
The weak have no place in harsh conditions. If you hatch two eggs, it’s not a fact that both chicks will hatch. Even if you are lucky in this regard, pay attention to the older one, he will be bigger, and therefore more viable. The second one will most likely die, because there may not be enough food for him, but there’s nothing you can do about it. But if he survives, he will be quite seasoned.
There is another option: suddenly the older chick will die, then you can pay full attention to the younger one. If you hatch only one egg, the offspring must be protected in every possible way. In extreme cases, having lost your chick, you can try to steal someone else’s, but this is an unreliable gamble. The female’s companions, from whom you try to steal it, will most likely come to her rescue, so the abduction may not work.
- Save energy
To do this, it is better to walk, waddling from side to side — this is the most effective way of movement for you. By the way, this way you can reach quite a decent speed: 3-6 km/h. If there is smooth ice or wet sand in front of you, lie down and slide, pushing off with your paws. Slide down the mountains quickly and merrily, on your stomach or butt. That’s what little people do.
- Don’t limit yourself to Antarctica.
There are many other places in the world that are quite suitable for habitation. Antarctica for Imperial, Antarctic and Adelie penguins. Others live well on the coasts of South America and Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Does everyone think you’re from the southern hemisphere? Surprise them, reach the equator and spread further north! This is exactly what penguins who settled on the Galapagos Islands did.
By Olga Ladygina
