Friday 20 January 2017

Penguin Awareness Day

Source: Dreamatico
Today, the 20th of January, marks Penguin Awareness Day, an annual occurrence which provides the perfect opportunity to highlight penguins and learn more about these species. It is a day to specifically appreciate these natives of Antarctica whose numbers are dwindling daily. This day is also aimed at bringing international focus on the conservation of penguin habitats.

Source: TreeHugger
But why is Penguin Awareness Day important? Penguins continue to be one of the most threatened species on the planet due to several threats such as climate change, oil pollution, an insufficient food supply, and getting caught in fishing nets have led to a rapid decline in their population.
  
Source: Defenders organization
So, please join your fellow penguin lovers and wholeheartedly celebrate our tuxedo-bearing friends!
 
Source: BoredPanda
Powerful penguin facts:
·   Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost completely in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, the Falkland Islands, and the Galapagos Islands.
·         Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have counter-shaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have evolved into flippers.
·         The black and white coloring of the penguins is a camouflage, helping them to hide from underwater predators.
·         They spend about half of their lives on land and half in the oceans.
·         There are about 20 known species of penguins, the largest of which are the emperor penguins.
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·         The smallest known penguin species are the little penguin found in the coastal areas of Australia and New Zealand.
·         The fastest penguins – the Gentoo – can swim at the speed of 22 miles or 35 kilometers an hour.
·         They either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies across the snow, a movement called "tobogganing", conserving energy while moving quickly.
·         They jump with both feet together if they want to move more quickly or cross steep or rocky terrain.
·         In the water, they are astoundingly agile.
·         The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters.
·         On land, penguins use their tails and wings to maintain balance for their upright stance.

Source: Pinterest
References