Dear friends, today we'll learn how to live penguins and this will go to the South Pole, in Antarctica, the coldest and one of the most unusual places in the world . 
Think no living creature can survive in such a cold? Wrong!
Think no living creature can survive in such a cold? Wrong!
There are animals that can withstand the temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius.
As you know, today we are talking about penguins. And we learn how to live by the example of the birds, the largest of all the 17 species - emperor penguin.
At the height they reach a meter and weigh about 30 kilograms. They are excellent swimmers, and, surprisingly, did not get wet in the water. Under water they wave flippers as if the birds wings.
To give life to their offspring, they leave the sea and are selected on the land. They are the only birds that are hatching in the harsh conditions of eternal ice.
Antarctica is a very comfortable place for breeding chicks: there are no predators, so the kids are safe. But they have to put up with the cold.
Emperor penguins are well adapted to low temperatures. Their dense plumage protects them from any frost. And the penguins feathers short and dense. Birds like wrapped in a duvet. In addition, they have a thick layer of fat, which not only saves you from the cold, but also serves as a kind of storage room. On the ice, there is no food for penguins, and penguins before hatching eggs are gaining an extra 6 pounds of fat. Why they are so difficult to walk.
Black-and-white color also helps keep warm. When the sun is shining, black feathers absorb slight heat. Moreover, the penguins have adapted to walk in the harsh conditions of eternal ice, relying on the heel and tail.
Penguins and Offspring.
The female penguin brings forth one single egg. After a few hours it broadcasts its future child a happy dad. And he hides his future child under the leathery folds on his belly, there is always warm.
moms work on this over. She goes into the sea to earn their living. But the male will have to starve. But he had provided himself with a thick layer of fat and can withstand the test of all while carrying eggs. To reduce energy consumption and conserve heat, the males gather together, and they are periodically reversed, so that everyone can get their share of heat.
moms work on this over. She goes into the sea to earn their living. But the male will have to starve. But he had provided himself with a thick layer of fat and can withstand the test of all while carrying eggs. To reduce energy consumption and conserve heat, the males gather together, and they are periodically reversed, so that everyone can get their share of heat.
Two months later the chick hatched. A caring father to lose this time, nearly half the weight, and if the female does not return, he will have to starve ...
Fortunately, they always come back in time. And despite the fact that in the pack are thousands of penguins, females always find exactly the partners in urgent than a call. This is followed by the feasting. Mom begins to feed her baby half-digested food.
A father, passing his female offspring, goes a long way to the sea for sustenance (fish, shrimp, small crustaceans - a favorite of the menu). Now came my mother to take care of the baby. So a couple of penguins with their chicks grow. Only when the cub turns month, he decides to descend from the clutches of the parent on the ice and make the first steps. He was much more will need to learn, so it will not try to move away from the mother.
A father, passing his female offspring, goes a long way to the sea for sustenance (fish, shrimp, small crustaceans - a favorite of the menu). Now came my mother to take care of the baby. So a couple of penguins with their chicks grow. Only when the cub turns month, he decides to descend from the clutches of the parent on the ice and make the first steps. He was much more will need to learn, so it will not try to move away from the mother.
But within three months, the baby will be ready to leave their parents forever. And in five years will have to take care of their offspring.
In two months pingvinyata form a colony, "manger." They get in a tight bunch for protection from the cold. Now only a few adult penguins watching chicks. And parents can finally take a break and go together to the sea. A long way, on the ice to go on short legs oh so easy, but the Emperor penguin does one trick: he lies on his stomach, and - forward. On that much easier.
When they reached the edge of the ice, the pack is in no hurry to dive. Here, they can wait for the leopard - a three-meter ferocious predator, for which the Penguins - a tasty prey. He might even get on the ice. And, unfortunately, it is never without a catch ... But since ordered our wonderful world . Penguins need to be fed, and they have to take risks, the leopard for the same reason should attack.
Winter sun sinks lower and lower, until there was not disappear over the horizon. Antarctica is plunged into darkness for a month.
During this time you can watch the southern aurora . If the earth's atmosphere from space microparticles penetrate, and the magnetic field attracts them to the South Pole.
During this time you can watch the southern aurora . If the earth's atmosphere from space microparticles penetrate, and the magnetic field attracts them to the South Pole.
It is the only light that will see the penguins until the sun returns.
Not all penguins live in the cold Antarctic. Some of this family settled in South Africa . In these places the temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius. From the heat of the day, African penguins are hiding in burrows that they dig in the sand does not, and in the centuries-old sediments kuang (so called bird droppings).
Unfortunately, in some places almost no kuang: people take out and use it as fertilizer. Penguins have to hold in the open hole, and the day the earth is heated by the sun.
This is interesting, but sometimes the birds are moving closer to the people, they do not mind the presence of tourists. Here they are comfortable, and for the breeding season you can find a nook.
It is convenient to hatching. But they need a lot to eat.
As emperor penguins, these are also sent in the queue to feed at sea. And plenty of food here ... The favorite prey of penguins - anchovies. Small fish straying into shoals, and birds can easily hunt them. Africans feel well at the depth of the sea. Emperor penguins swim better. They can dive to a depth of 500 meters and stay under water for 10 minutes.
That's live penguins .
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