When the movie “Happy Feet” was released, many children became interested in penguins.  This species, which is a distant relative of the bird, lives in the snowy regions of the south pole, and is a pretty amazing animal.  I have here some fun facts about this special bird.

Click Here To Look Like A Penguin

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First, even though penguins are birds, they can’t fly, but they are excellent swimmers and divers.  Their flippers are actually an evolution of a what was once wings, and their pear shaped bodies enable them to swim incredibly fast.  Once they are on land, they aren’t nearly as graceful or speedy as in the water, although their typical waddle is humorous and fun to watch.

The second amazing fact is that penguins are devoted parents.  Unlike other bird species, a penguin mom and dad take turns in warming the egg while the other hunts for food.  In some species the father penguin sits on the egg the entire time, keeping it warm between his feet and his body.  He carefully turns the regularly so the penguin chick will develop normally.  While he’s keeping the egg warm, the mother penguin is off gorging herself with food to make up for the time lost.  By the time the chick is born, the father is nearly starving to death.  I’ll bet he’s glad when that egg starts to hatch.  But even then the parents have to take turns watching the baby and keeping it warm, while the other one goes out and brings back food for it.

The third fact is  that because penguins reside near the ocean, swallowing sea water is always a challenging experience for them.  But, penguins have a special gland that disables the intrusion of salt into their body.  This gland is located at the back of their beaks.

And the most amazing fact of all is that they communicate using their very own body/sign language.  They often move their heads and flippers in wild gesturing as a form of talking with other penguins.

You will enjoy wearing your penguin costume with your kids even more, now that you have more information about this amazing bird!

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