What do penguins like to eat? A guide to the penguin's main diet

The penguin, known as the “ship of the ocean”, is one of the oldest swimming birds; they very likely settled in Antarctica before the Earth was covered in ice. There are 18 species of penguins in the world, most of them distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. So, what do penguins like to eat?

1. What do penguins like to eat?

Penguins mainly feed on the marine zooplankton Antarctic krill, and sometimes also prey on some small fish, squid and brachiopod-like creatures.

2. The penguin's living habits

1. Hunting

Penguins feed on marine zooplankton, mainly Antarctic krill, and sometimes also prey on some brachiopods, squid and small fish. Penguins have a good appetite; each penguin can eat an average of 0.75 kg of food per day, mainly Antarctic krill. Therefore, penguins, as predators, play an important role in the food chain of the Southern Ocean. Penguins prey on about 33.17 million tons of krill in Antarctica, accounting for 90% of the total consumption by Antarctic birds, equivalent to half of the krill preyed on by whales.

2. Temperament

Penguins are simple, honest and generous in temperament, and very amusing. Although penguins look extraordinary in appearance, appearing somewhat arrogant, even overbearing, when people approach them, they do not flee at the sight of people; sometimes they seem completely unbothered, sometimes they seem shy and at a loss, and sometimes they look around and whisper to each other with chattering sounds.

3. Swimming

Penguins are typical seabirds. Although they cannot fly, their swimming ability is that of a super athlete among birds. Although penguins' feet also have webbing, they are only used as a rudder to control direction; the forward power comes entirely from those oar-like wings, flapping and flying through the water.

Penguins swim very fast. The emperor penguin can swim about ten kilometers per hour, while the white-capped penguin holds the record of swimming thirty-six kilometers per hour, making it the fastest swimmer among all birds. Penguins often use dolphin-style swimming, that is, diving for a distance, surfacing to breathe, then diving again to continue swimming. In fact, penguins are also the diving champions among birds; they have a record of diving underwater for 18 minutes and diving to a depth of 265 meters.

Penguins have a very good appetite; a penguin can eat about one and a half jin of food, and they are also good helpers in maintaining the food chain in the ocean. Antarctic krill is basically preyed on by penguins, accounting for a large part of the krill preyed on by whales.