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Penguins: The Odd Bird Out

Penguins: The Odd Bird Out . 5 th Grade. Penguins!. Class – Aves Family – Spheniscidae Penguins are the only animals in the Spheniscidae family Species – 18 . Location . Live in the Southern Hemisphere Abundant on temperate and sub- antarctic islands

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Penguins: The Odd Bird Out

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  1. Penguins: The Odd Bird Out 5th Grade

  2. Penguins! • Class – Aves • Family –Spheniscidae • Penguins are the only animals in the Spheniscidae family • Species – 18

  3. Location • Live in the Southern Hemisphere • Abundant on temperate and sub-antarctic islands • Live in areas where their inability to fly is not detrimental to their survival (not many land predators)

  4. Characteristics: • Aquatic, flightless birds • Highly adapted to life in the water • Countershading: a form of camouflage that helps keep them safe in the water (they look like they are wearing a tuxedo)

  5. Size: • Emperor Penguin = largest • 3.7 feet tall, 60-90 pounds • Fairy (Little Blue) Penguin = smallest • 16 inches tall, 2.2 pounds

  6. Population • Species with the highest population is the Macaroni Penguin (23,308,000) • Species with the lowest population is the endangered Galapagos Penguin with only between 6,000-15,000 left

  7. Macaroni Penguin

  8. Galapagos Penguin

  9. Behavior • Can spend up to 75% of their lives in the water • Do all of their hunting in the water • Catch prey in their beaks and swallow it whole • Some only leave water for molting and breeding

  10. Diet • Krill • Squid • Fishes

  11. Hunting and Collecting Food • Feed at sea • Find food within 50-60 feet from the surface, so they do not need to dive very deep • Rely on their vision while hunting

  12. Fasting • During breeding season, penguins fast • Fun Fact: Male emperor penguins may fast 90 – 120 days during courtship, breeding, and incubation of the eggs

  13. Reproduction • Each penguin has a distinct call, allowing individual penguins to find their mate and their chicks in large groups • Most breed during spring and summer • King and Emperor penguins lay only one egg –all other species lay two eggs • Eggs take between 1 month and 66 days to develop and hatch, depending on the species

  14. Flippers and Feathers • Instead of wings, penguins have paddle-like flippers • Each flipper is covered with short, scale-like feathers • Flippers used to propel Penguins through water

  15. Flippers and Feathers

  16. Why are the feathers still there?

  17. Why are the feathers still there? • Feathers help keep water away from the skin • Penguin feathers are highly specialized: short, broad, closely spaced

  18. Penguins lose their feathers once per year, a process called MOLTING

  19. Movement • Swim quickly because if their flippers and webbed feet • Walk slowly using short steps or hops • When traveling on ice, Antarctic penguins often use toboggan on their bellies –use flippers and feet to slide their bodies forward along the ice

  20. Toboggan • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMdD6rgwkk

  21. Emperor Penguin Migration • Begin migration rituals each March, traveling up to 100 miles to reach an appropriate nesting ground • Female lays an egg, and males take care of the eggs for up to four months

  22. Males Incubate Egg

  23. Emperor Penguin Males Incubate Eggs –covers it with a feathered fold of abdominal skin

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