Penguins for Kids | Learn all about this unique bird

Hello there, animal lovers! Today, we are going to learn about penguins. If you want to follow along and read with us, you can download this lesson plan from our website, learnbright.org. What are penguins? Can you name a bird that can swim and not fly? That's right! A penguin! These black and white seabirds can swim and dive effortlessly through the water. But they stand upright and waddle on land. There are 18 different types, or species, of penguin. Most penguins can be found in the cold regions of Antarctica and the surrounding islands. But some penguins actually live in warmer climates off the coast of Ecuador. Most penguins have a black back and a white belly. Their coloring camouflages them to keep them safe when swimming in the ocean. The black and white colors make an effect called countershading. When a predator, like a leopard seal, looks up from below, the white belly and wings of the penguin are tough to see because of the light coming in from above. And when looking from above, their dark black back blends into the ocean's waters, deep blue, making them hard to see again. Depending on the type of penguin, they can range in height from 1 to 4 feet tall. They use their short, paddle-like wings and webbed feet for swimming. Their bodies are like a torpedo shooting through the water. Penguins can swim more than 25 miles an hour, but are much slower on land. While their short legs can dash on the ice and snow, it is much faster for them to slide on their bellies. Penguins can stay warm in cold temperatures because they have a thick layer of blubber that insulates them, protecting them from losing heat. They also have two layers of feathers. The lower layer is made of wooly down feathers that are coated with a type of oil that makes them waterproof. The upper layer of feathers is very short. Their outer, short-veined feathers are tightly packed to create another layer of cover by trapping warm air. What do they eat? Penguins eat different types of small fishes, squid, krill, and other ocean animals. But as delicious as a fish is, scientists discovered penguins cannot taste it. This is because they are missing essential genes, which are units of heredity passed from parent to child. When the scientists closely examined the DNA of the penguins, it showed that no penguins can taste sweet, bitter, or umami flavors. But it doesn't matter to the penguin, because they swallow their food whole. Other interesting facts Here are some interesting facts about penguins. If you run across a group of penguins in the water, it is called a raft. But if you see them on land, it is called a waddle. So how do you think they got the names raft or waddle? There are no penguins at the North Pole. Penguins can drink seawater. There are no land-based predators for penguins living in Antarctica. An emperor penguin dove 1,850 feet underwater. Penguins have extraordinary lung capacity. Some can hold their breath for up to 22 minutes. Why are they important to the environment? Right now, penguins struggle to battle climate change, overfishing, and pollution in the ocean. At the same time, they have to deal with habitat destruction, new predators, and human disturbances on the land. In addition, as their food supply dwindles, they have to go further and further out to find food, making them more susceptible to dangers. Some species of penguin are endangered, like the yellow-eyed penguin that has only about 4,000 birds remaining. The erect crested penguin has lost over 70% of its population in the last 20 years. As the ice melts due to warming, and as fishing boats strip the ocean of a vital food source, penguins around the globe suffer. Talk about some interesting facts. Let's review to see what you remember. True or false. There are no penguins at the North Pole. If you said true, you're right. Choose the word the author would say best describes the penguin. A. Captive B. Squat C. Malicious D. Enormous E. Predator If you chose B. Squat, you got this one right. What are the three layers that keep penguins warm? They have a layer of blubber, a layer of wooly down feathers, and a layer of short-veined feathers. Great job, friends! If you liked this lesson, make sure you check out even more cool lesson plans on LearnBright.org. See you next time! Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at LearnBright.org. For thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.