Penguins: The Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere

Penguins are flightless aquatic birds that are almost exclusively found in the Southern Hemisphere. Penguins are evolved to catch fast-swimming prey and to live in cold temperatures. Their bodies have densely packed feathers, heavy muscles and huge fat supplies. Because of these adaptations penguins have lost their ability to fly, and while they might not look graceful on land, they are incredibly agile in the water. 

There was a penguin-like bird living in the Northern Hemisphere, the Great Auk, which went extinct due to human activities in the 1850s. 

Penguins for the most part breed in large colonies, but it’s not all happy feet. Penguin chicks often form crèche (groups of chicks), to protect themselves from predators and unrelated adult penguins. These crèche also provide warmth and provide a nursery for the babies. 

Penguins are often studied by scientists, and the Adelie penguins managed to disturb scientists so much so that a research paper on them was denied publishing in the early 1900’s. 

Listen now to learn about this flightless bird, the cute but sometimes terrifying penguin. 

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