The Role of a Penguin's Tail and an Introduction to Penguin Species
The penguin is a very ancient swimming bird, known as the "boat of the ocean," with a history dating back many years. Penguins mostly live in the Southern Hemisphere. Although they have two wing-like flippers, they cannot fly, and they have two feet that support their bodies upright. Besides being able to walk on land, penguins can also swim in the water, their small flippers turning into swimming paddles. Let's take a look below at what role a penguin's tail plays and which species there are.
1. What role does a penguin's tail play?
1. The glands at the base of the tail secrete oil that coats the feathers, so that water droplets cannot seep into the feathers and instead run off.
2. It plays a role in supporting the body. Penguins look round and clumsy, waddling as they walk; besides the two small feet that provide support, the tail can also provide support, because its feather barbs are stiff.
3. The tail plays a role in keeping the body balanced.
2. Which species of penguins are there?
1. Emperor Penguin
The emperor penguin, also called the emperor penguin, is the largest of the penguin species, generally reaching a height of 90 cm to 120 cm, with a body weight of about 50KG.
The emperor penguin is a social animal and can dive several hundred meters deep into the sea. It mainly eats crustaceans, and occasionally also eats small fish and squid.
The emperor penguin is the only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter.
Emperor penguins live in the Transantarctic Mountains, at the junction of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, at Cape Colbeck, which is battered by cold winds.
2. King Penguin
The king penguin has a body length of about 1 m and weighs around thirty jin. It has a distinct orange-yellow patch on its neck. When in danger, it can press its belly against the ice and slide quickly, at a very fast speed.
The king penguin is mainly distributed in Antarctica and its nearby islands.
3. Gentoo Penguin
The gentoo penguin, also called the white-browed penguin or the gentoo penguin, lives in more southern regions and mainly eats krill, while those living farther north feed more on fish.
4. Adelie Penguin
The Adelie penguin is a medium-to-small species, feeding mainly on krill, squid and marine fish. They like to move in colonies, around the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands, and spend the winter in the ocean.
5. Chinstrap Penguin
The chinstrap penguin, also called the officer penguin, Antarctic penguin, cheek-strap penguin, bearded penguin, ringed penguin or chin-strap penguin, lives in places such as the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetlands, South Georgia Island, Bouvet Island, the Balleny Islands and Peter I Island.
6. Southern Rockhopper Penguin
The southern rockhopper penguin is distributed in most parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 80% on the Tristan da Cunha Islands and Gough Island, and the rest on Amsterdam Island and Saint Paul Island.
7. Northern Rockhopper Penguin
The northern rockhopper penguin is one of the 3 subspecies of the crested yellow-browed penguin. The northern rockhopper penguin lives on rocky islands and is good at jumping from one rock to another——hence the name rockhopper penguin. It mainly feeds on sardines and krill.
8. Yellow-eyed Penguin
The yellow-eyed penguin belongs to the genus Megadyptes in the family Spheniscidae and is a penguin native to New Zealand, mainly distributed on New Zealand's South Island, Stewart Island, the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island.
9. Little Blue Penguin
The little blue penguin is the smallest species in the penguin family. It has blue feathers and is also the only penguin with blue feathers. It preys on fish, squid and other small aquatic animals.