World Penguin Day

“World Penguin Day seeks to celebrate the aquatic, flightless birds. Penguins are critical to their ecosystems as they serve as both predators and prey. They provide food for leopard seals while preying on fish such as squid and krill. Penguins are in danger of being affected by climate change. According to World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), up to 75% of the Adelie penguin population will decline and eventually disappear if the temperature rises above 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius). World Penguin Day was established in 1972 by Californian Gerry Wallace. It is observed annually on April 25th, a date that marks the Adelie penguin’s migration north toward Antarctica.”

Facts About Penguins:

• The smallest penguin is the Little Blue Penguin.
• Between 17 -20 different kinds of penguins.
• They jump into the air before diving to swim faster.
• They were first called “strange geese” when they were discovered.
• They can swim over 10 mph.
• They can dive down over 800 feet.
• Their “suit” acts as camouflage called “countershading.”
• They can drink seawater.
• Some extinct penguins were over five feet tall.
• They don’t have teeth.
• They molt once a year.
• Many male penguins gift female penguins with rocks in order to woo them.
• Some of them mate for life.
• Couples use distinct calls to communicate.
• Emperor penguins incubate eggs on their feet.
• They are waterproof.
• They are very social.
• A group of penguins in the water is called a raft.
• Their poop is very smelly.
• Some penguins build pebble nests.
• Some dig out cozy burrows.
• The Galápagos penguin stays nice and warm living near the equator and doesn’t live in the Antarctic.
• They huddle for warmth.
• You’ll never see penguins and polar bears together in the wild.
• Their feet are adapted to walk long distances.

Activities: 

• Make a map labeling Antarctica and the Galapagos. 
• How far do penguins go when they migrate? 
• Draw a graph showing the different heights of different penguin species. 
• Name five other groups of animals that have odd names. 

What activities would you do about this topic? Please share.