6 Wonderful Facts about Penguins
Penguins cannot breathe underwater
Penguins can stay underwater for 10-15 minutes before coming to the surface to breathe. Penguins cannot breathe underwater.
Highly social birds
Penguins are highly social birds. Even at sea, penguins usually swim and feed in groups. Some penguin colonies on Antarctica are huge and can contain 20 million or more penguins at various times during the year.
Feathers per square inch
Penguins have more feathers than most other birds, averaging approximately 70 feathers per square inch. The Emperor Penguin has the most of any bird, at around 100 feathers per one square inch.
In the past..
In the past, people ate penguin eggs. They also killed adult penguins for their feathers, skin, and oil. People also used penguin droppings (guano) to fertilize the soil and help grow crops. While this seems harmless, some penguins use guano to make their nests. When the guano was gone, they had to lay their eggs on the bare ground, where they were more susceptible to predators.
Emperor Penguins
Emperor Penguins are the largest penguins in the world and stand up to 4 feet (1.2 m) high and weigh as much as 100 pounds (45.3 kg).
Safety in numbers
Penguins usually enter and leave the sea in large groups. Scientists believe this is for “safety in numbers.” By blending into a crowd, an individual penguin may avoid catching the attention of a predator.