You’ve watched them shuffle across icebergs and marveled at their underwater acrobatics, and now you'll want to share these interesting penguin facts with everyone you know
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They have waterproof feathers
Penguins’ feathers are coated in a waterproof oil produced by an adaptive gland called the preen gland, according to Corbin Maxey, an animal expert and biologist. Penguin chicks, however, do not have waterproof feathers, which is why they stay out of the water. Penguins also have a higher feather density than most birds—we’re talking more than 100 feathers per square inch. At the base of each feather is a small muscle that holds the feather tightly to the body to trap warm air, Maxey says.
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Their “tuxedo” isn’t just a fashion statement
Countershading, or camouflage, helps penguins hide from predators or prey in the water, says Maxey. When viewed from below, their white bellies blend in with the light near the surface of the sea. When viewed from above, their black backs are hard to see in deep, dark water.
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They aren’t just black and white
According to Antonio Fernandez, associate curator of aviary at ZooTampa at Lowry Park, who has been working with penguins for over two decades, more than half of all penguin species have colored feathers either on their heads or on their bodies. Rockhopper and macaroni penguins, for example, have yellow or orange feather crests that look like wild tufts of hair, while emperor and king penguins are marked with yellow and orange patches on their heads, necks and chests.
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They’re the Michael Phelps of the animal world
Penguins have the perfect body for swimming. Rather than wings for flight, penguins have paddle-like flippers with short, scale-like feathers. SeaWorld describes penguins’ bones as “flattened and broadened, with the joint of the elbow and wrist almost fused,” creating a tapered, flat flipper for swimming. And they have solid bones, rather than the air-filled ones of flighted birds. These dense bones counteract buoyancy to help them dive deeply underwater, says Fernandez. “They also have a layer of fat around their body, which allows them to stay at the surface effortlessly,” he explains.
Penguin species that live in colder, Antarctic regions tend to be more insulated with blubber than those found in South America and the Galápagos Islands, which are closer to the equator.
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They aren’t the only type of bird that can’t fly
They may not fly, but penguins are still birds. “For an animal to be a bird, it needs to meet three requirements: have feathers, lay eggs for reproduction and be warm-blooded,” says Fernandez. Flight is not a requirement to be a bird; in fact, there are several bird species—known as ratites—that are also unable to fly, including ostriches, emus and kiwis.
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Once a year, they look like exploding pillows
Penguins experience a “catastrophic molt” annually, during which they shed all of their feathers as new ones push through underneath. Molting can take 14 to 21 days, and at that time, penguins not only have bad hair days but also lack waterproofing. Since they can’t swim, they can’t catch fish. “They compensate by eating immense amounts of food prior to molting and using the extra weight as an energy source during this period,” explains Fernandez.
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They don’t hang out with polar bears
Penguins and polar bears are often depicted as neighbors in cartoons, but the two species only ever see each other in zoos. That’s because polar bears live in the northern hemisphere, and penguins live on or below the equator, says Eric Fox, assistant curator of penguins at New England Aquarium in Boston.
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Not all penguins live in Antarctica
Of the 18 different species of penguins, only the emperor and the Adélie prefer the snow and ice near the South Pole. According to Fox, the majority live in temperate to tropical environments like Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa and Namibia. The Galápagos Islands, located on the equator, are the warmest penguin habitat.
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They have built-in swim goggles
Because penguins spend 75% of their lives in the water, their eyes were designed to see better underwater than on land. “Their nictitating membrane, or third eyelid, is a clear protective barrier that is held shut when swimming to act as a built-in pair of swim goggles,” explains Fox. This “third eyelid” is just one of the adaptations that have allowed penguins to survive their many predators, including sharks, whales and seals.
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You need a DNA test to tell males and females apart
Most penguin species are not sexually dimorphic, meaning it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between males and females by sight. According to Fox, Mystic Aquarium used DNA testing to prepare for the gender reveal parties of their African penguin chicks.
Penguins do show individual characteristics, though. African penguins, for example, have spot patterns on their chests that are as unique to that species as our fingerprints are to humans.
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Sadly, penguins are in trouble
As much as humans adore penguins, we’re also the biggest threat to their survival. “Anthropogenic activity has driven many species of penguins to the brink of extinction,” says Fox. “Oil spills, trash pollution, overfishing and climate change are just some of the factors that contribute to the decline of penguin species across the globe.” African penguin populations, for example, have declined drastically since the 2000s.
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Climate change is affecting their food supply
Warming oceans are causing a decline in food supply for penguins from Antarctica all the way to the Equator, according to Shaye Wolf, PhD, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity in Oakland, California. Krill, a small crustacean, eat algae that grow on the bottom of sea ice, and in turn, penguins eat the krill. Rising ocean temperatures cause ice to melt, resulting in a shortage of food for sub-Antarctic penguins.
Meanwhile, penguins in the Galápagos Islands and the coasts of Africa and South America suffer from periodic food shortages due to El Niño events. Leading climate scientists believe that global climate change will bring even stronger El Niño events in the future, Wolf warns.
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We can all help the penguins
“Knowing that the impacts on penguins are human-related, it is our responsibility to do something to fix this,” says Fox, who offers four easy lifestyle changes. “These may all sound like simple solutions, but if 7 billion people made small changes, it would make a significant difference on our planet and the animals that live there.”
- Reduce the amount of trash that ends up in our oceans. Avoid single-use plastics like disposable straws, bags and water bottles.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting our use of oil and natural gas by carpooling, taking shorter showers and turning off lights when leaving a room.
- Make more responsible seafood choices. Fox suggests using Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch recommendations, which help you identify the most sustainable types of seafood to consume.
- Support a local zoo or aquarium. Many partner with organizations across the globe to accomplish a variety of conservation projects, including helping penguins.
About the experts
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Sources:
- Corbin Maxey, animal expert, YouTuber and television personality
- Antonio Fernandez, associate curator of aviary at ZooTampa at Lowry Park
- Eric Fox, assistant curator of penguins at the New England Aquarium
- Shay Wolfe, PhD, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity
- SeaWorld: “Physical Characteristics”
- Britannica: “Galapagos Penguin”
- ActionBioscience: “Climate Change Threatens Penguins”
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: “Recommendations”
