Do you really like penguins? We think you should let everyone know!
Penguins are unique among all birds by the fact that they reproduce very slowly (usually only once a year), and have very short lifespans (one or two eggs at most). But there is one part of their body that is very distinct, and that is their beaks. The reason why penguins are great is because of their unique beak structure. A typical penguin has two short, club-like wings covered with tiny scales, which help them glide and quickly catch food.
The biggest threat to these flightless birds is actually their predators. The two most common prey for penguins are scavengers and large fish, such as Herring and halibut. When penguins get hungry they stop eating and become what is called an “emergent” population, where their numbers grow rapidly until their numbers grow out of control and they get caught in the food chain. This causes their eggs to hatch slowly, so when penguins mate and have babies, it takes them a lot of time to get to the nest and start raising the chicks. And since penguins only breed during the summer months, if the chicks do not arrive before winter, the parents will have no chicks to take care of them!
Unlike all other sea birds, Gentoo penguins have a highly developed eggshell. Their eggshells are extremely fragile and thin, and even though they are almost transparent, they can hardly be seen under a microscope. This means that even if a female penguin lays an egg with just one eggshell, she will not be able to lay an entire egg. However, if she does successfully mate with a male, she will produce several eggs and will usually have enough to raise them (with some helping eggs from other colonies) before the warmer seasons return. As you can see, Gentoo penguins are extremely unique and interesting birds, which make excellent study subjects in the science classrooms of today!
