Paperwhite Creations: Penguin Day

Thursday 16 January 2020

Penguin Day

Happy Thursday! This week we are looking at another national day, National Penguin Day. It’s quite fitting because we have been having quite a bit of wintery snowy weather, just what most Penguins love! I love Penguins. They are just so cute and cuddly looking so I am very excited to be celebrating this day.

Take a look at some cool Penguin facts so that you are ready to celebrate the day which is January 20^th.

· Penguins are aquatic flightless birds.

· Most penguins reside in the Southern Hemisphere but there is one species that lives North of the Equator, the Galapagos Penguin.

· Most Penguins are a combination of light (white) and dark (black) shades which helps them in the water. They are countershaded for camouflage.

· Penguin’s wings are like flippers for swimming in the water.

· Penguins like to eat krill, squid, different fish, and other sea life.

· The largest species of Penguin is the Emperor Penguin and the smallest is the Little Blue Penguin.

· The larger Penguins tend to be found in the colder climates and the smaller ones in the warmer climates.

· Male Penguins are called cocks, female Penguins ate called hens, and a group of Penguins on land is called a waddle and a group in the water is called raft.

· The word Penguin originated from the Italian word Pinguinus.

· There are many Genus’ of Penguins and even more Species.

· Some Species of Penguins are...King, Emperor, Chinstrap, Little Blue, White Flippered, Galapagos, African, Yellow Eyed, Rockhopper, Royal, and Macaroni Penguin. And that’s not all of them!

· They are distantly related to the Puffin.

· They have a thick layer of insulating feathers to keep them warm in the water

· They can drink salt water because they have glands that filters the excess salt from the bloodstream.

· Even though the climate is similar to the South Pole, there are no Penguins at the North Pole!

· Large populations of Penguins can be found in Anglo, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa.

· Most Penguins lay two eggs per clutch and all share in the incubation process.

· Penguins have no fear of humans and often will approach humans with no fear when they come in contact. This is possibly because they have no land enemies in Antarctica.

Also, take a look at some neat Penguin crafts that we found along with a few cards that we have made in the past featuring Penguins!