7 Fun Facts About Penguins!
1. Penguins Spend A Lot Of Time Grooming Themselves
Penguins often spend hours a day caring for their feathers. However, this is not just because they are trying to impress the opposite sex! Penguins need to keep their feathers well maintained in order to help them to stay waterproof and windproof. Besides cleaning and rearranging their feathers, penguins also spread a natural and insulating oil over them. The oil comes from a gland at the base of a penguin's tail.
2. Penguins Like Tobogganing!
Tobogganing is when penguins glide across snow and ice on their bellies. The propel themselves forward using their flippers and feet. They can often move faster this way than they could on their feet.
3. Penguins Can Swim Super Fast!
In fact, the Gentoo penguin is the fastest underwater swimming bird and can swim up to 22 mph! Penguins can also dive deeper than any other bird.
4. Most Penguins Live In The Southern Hemisphere
Most penguins live in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or Chili. There are no penguins at the North Pole.
5. Penguins Are Good At Holding Their Breath
Most penguins can stay under water for 10 to 15 minutes before having to come to the surface to breath.
6. Male and Females Penguins Look The Same
Most penguin species are not sexually dimorphic. The only exception is the crested penguins species where the males tend to have larger bills.
7. Not All Penguins Live In Cold Weather
Galapagos penguins live near the equator on the Galapagos Islands.
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