Today, April 25, we celebrate World Penguin Day. Its goal is to remind people of the need to take care of these amazing birds. In our country they can only be found in zoos. However, Russia has the most direct relationship with penguins: most of these birds are in Antarctica, which was discovered by Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
Photo: shutterstock
Our country is the leader in the number of research stations ever created in Antarctica. The most famous among them are Vostok, Mirny, Bellingshausen. Near the Mirny station there is a large colony of the world’s largest penguins – emperor penguins. Here, Russian biologists have long been observing these amazing birds. Let’s talk about what penguins are like.
Photo: shutterstock
The largest
There are about 18 species of penguins in the world. The largest are imperial. The height of the male is up to 130 cm, and the female is up to 114. The weight of these birds is also very respectable – up to 50 kg for boys and up to 30 for girls. Their appearance is very bright – white breast and black back. Emperor penguins were first discovered and described by Russian sailors on the expedition of Lazarev and Bellingshausen. Birds live on ice floes around Antarctica, where they were first encountered. But in winter they walk on ice to their nesting sites on the Antarctic continent. Birds travel 150 kilometers in one migration! There are approximately 38 colonies of this species in the world. One of the largest is near the Russian polar station. When hunting for fish, the emperor penguin can dive more than 500 meters! However, they usually dive not so deep – “only” 150 meters.
Photo: shutterstock
“Silver” medal in size
The king penguin takes an honorable second place in size. He is slightly smaller than the imperial one – his height is about a meter. They have bright orange spots on their beak and chest. Like their larger relatives, they are also excellent divers. A king penguin can stay underwater for up to 9.2 minutes without breathing! Note that trained human divers can hold their breath for 90 seconds. Both king and emperor penguins belong to numerous species – there are more than a million of both in the world.
Who’s at risk
Crested penguins are not doing so well. There are seven species of them in the world and all of them are in one way or another endangered. Thus, the population of the northern crested penguin has been growing since the 1950s. decreased by 90%. It is not known exactly what this is connected with. Among the reasons are climate change, an increase in harmful emissions into the sea and a reduction in food supply. One way or another, crested penguins are now considered endangered.
Photo: Victor GUSEINOV
Odyssey of the Adélie Penguins
This is what you might call Adelie penguins. In the summer they live on the islands around Antarctica and raise their chicks, and in the winter they go on long wanderings among the ice floes. On average, the Adelie penguin travels 700 km per trip. However, there are also record holders. At least three representatives of this species reached New Zealand during seasonal migrations. To do this, they needed to swim 3000 km! But Adélie penguins are small birds, about 70-80 cm high and weighing only 6 kg.
To see penguins in Russia, you don’t have to go to Antarctica. Amazing birds live in many zoos and dolphinariums in our country. The largest Russian penguinarium is located in Krasnoyarsk – in 2011, two pools with a volume of 30 cubic meters each were equipped here. Excellent conditions for penguins have been created in the Sochi Dolphinarium and other zoos in our country. Take care of these amazing birds!
Photo: shutterstock
Photo courtesy of Freepik, Shutterstock, Komsomolskaya Pravda
