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Faizan
Adélie penguin, a species of penguins closest to their stereotypical image, are indeed a sight worth adoring. Here are some of the most interesting facts about these extremely cute birds.
No matter how widely they are known, penguins always seem to fascinate people the world over. A lot has been known till date, about these pretty birds and their endearing ways. Popular culture speaks volumes about them, and they are often portrayed as being friendly, smart, and playful creatures. Some real-life accounts also describe them as being very amicable towards humans. Penguins, as it is known, are aquatic, flightless birds, inhabiting the southern hemisphere, mostly Antarctica. Numerous species of penguins are known to exist on the continent of Antarctica, each of which has certain peculiar traits that make them stand out. The Adélie penguin is one species that is found abundantly along the entire Antarctic coastline, alongside other penguin species and Antarctic fauna.
The Adélie penguins may have been known since long, but it was not until 1840 that the bird was studied and described scientifically. A naturalist, Jacques Bernard Hombron and a zoologist, Honoré Jacquinot, collected specimens and published their report on Adélie penguins in 1841. Both these gentlemen were part of a French expedition led by Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville, a French explorer and a naval officer. In the course of this expedition, several Antarctic islands were visited and a part of Antarctic mainland, where the Adélie penguin colonies were first visited by the humans and studied, was named after d'Urville's wife, Adéle. It was called the Adélie Land and the penguin, in turn, gets its name from this place. The Adélie penguins are the best studied among all the penguin species till date.
Physical Features
✩ Adélie penguins are essentially medium-sized birds, weighing somewhere between 7 to 13 lbs. Their body weight goes on varying as the seasons change, and during the annual molt (the time when they shed their old feathers) that happens between February and March, they lose as much as half their weight.
✩ They are about 18 to 30 inches in height, which makes them one of the smallest species of penguins in the Antarctic.
✩ One of the distinguishing features of the Adélie penguins are the white rings that surround their eyes. It is not found in any other penguin species.
✩ The red beak is covered with feathers, and hence it seems to be black from a distance.
✩ The tail is brush-like and is a little longer than that of the other species. In fact, Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are one of the three extant species of penguins having a peculiar kind of tail. They belong to the genus Pygoscelis. The other two are the Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and the Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus). These three species of penguins are collectively called 'brush-tailed penguins' as their tail resembles a thick brush.
✩ Adélie penguins have robust and sturdy wings that help them push through the currents and facilitate swift underwater flying.
✩ On an average, an Adélie penguin can fly under water at a speed of 3 to 6 mph. However, in case of an emergency, such as protecting itself from a predator, it can increase its speed to about 15 mph.
✩ Their webbed feet and sturdy tail aid the Adélie penguins to control their movements under the surface of the water. They also use their feet and their flipper-like wings when they toboggan on ice i.e., when they lie on their bellies and slide down the ice cover.
✩ They have a uniform plumage over the entire body. It is invariably black and white in color - black on the back and while on the belly - such that the bird nearly resembles a tuxedo.
✩ The life expectancy of an Adélie penguin is about 10 to 15 years, if they do not fall prey to predators such as the lion seal and baleen whales.
Habitat
✩ Around 38 colonies of the Adélie penguins are known to exist along the whole of the Antarctic coast. About 5 million of these inhabit the Ross Sea region and some 160,000 live on Cape Bird, the northern extremity of Ross Island.
✩ Adélie penguins spend nearly all their lives at sea, under the pack ice (colossal, immobile mass of ice, formed due to freezing of sea water) that covers Antarctica.
✩ They only come ashore during the breeding season. At this time, they surface on barren beaches and rocky slopes in colossal numbers.
✩ They build nests out of stones, and become highly hostile whenever another mating pair attempts to steal the stones they have collected to build their nest.
✩ Once the breeding season is over, they return to the sea to look for new breeding grounds. They form groups while returning to the sea, so that they can save themselves from predators.
Behavior
✩ Adélie penguins are foragers by nature and display a highly social behavior. They are rarely found alone, and their flock is known as a 'colony'.
✩ They flock in crowded colonies, with an average colony consisting of about 250,000 pairs of birds.
✩ Adélie penguins are excellent swimmers, owing to all the adaptive features which they possess, but are a little clumsy on land. Due to their short legs, which are placed at the far back of their body, they have to walk awkwardly, in an upright position.
✩ For them, tobogganing seems like a better way to move around on land than walking. However, they seem to be quite agile when it comes to hopping over low obstacles or rocks.
✩ The main diet of the Adélie penguins comprises ice krill, Antarctic silverfish, and glacial squid. However, this varies depending on which region of the Antarctic coast the penguins inhabit.
Reproduction
✩ The Adélie penguins assemble at their breeding grounds when the winter ends and the spring is about to begin. This is roughly between the months of October and November.
✩ Each pair, then occupies a certain spot and enacts some complex mating rituals, before building their nest out of stones, as mentioned before.
✩ Two eggs are laid, and in December, the warmest month in the Antarctic, the parent penguins take turns to incubate the eggs; one goes to get food, while the other stays back to warm the eggs. The parent who incubates, fasts.
✩ In the month of March, the parents and their young ones, return to the sea.
✩ Interestingly, about 80% of Adélie penguins remain faithful to their partners. Sometimes, they tend to separate, but not before at least 5 to 6 years of being together.
✩ Adélie penguins possess some unusual mating habits, the most prevalent among which are homosexuality, physical and sexual abuse of young chicks, and mating with dead females.
With a total population of about 4 to 5 million birds, the Adélie penguin is not a threatened species as of now. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included it in its Near Threatened List that pertains to species which may be threatened with extinction in the near future. Increasing human disturbance in their habitat, in the form of tourism or scientific installations, is certainly resulting in the decline in the number of their colonies.
Read more at Buzzle:http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-adelie-penguin.html
Interesting Facts about Leopards
The leopard is a majestic cat that can reach speeds as high as 40 miles per hour while running. This Buzzle post makes for an entertaining read with more interesting facts to look forward to.
TAGGED UNDER: Leopards
Advertisement
Trivia
The famous saying that the leopard cannot change its spots is not true. As a matter of fact, a leopard does do so with time.
The leopard is a powerful climber, runner, and swimmer. This lethal combination makes it a predator par excellence. It is especially skillful in climbing up and down trees, carrying carcasses that are sometimes heavier than themselves, and it often descends headfirst. However, climbing down headfirst may not provide it with the necessary grip because its claws are curled inward. So, some leopards climb down tail first or side-on in order to get a proper grip.
By nature, this tree-climbing cat is secretive and elusive, but also very shrewd. It is nocturnal, which means that most of its activity takes place during the night. The hours of the day are reserved for resting on trees or thick bushes.
It also has a wonderful ability to adapt. While the best type of habitat for this creature is riverine forests or dense bushes in rocky surroundings, it is able to adapt to other forests and climates. In the face of loss of habitat due to deforestation and development, it is this ability that has held this animal in good stead.
The Famous Leopard's Spots
The leopard's spots are a very well-known and popular feature. The markings on its coat are quite famous, especially because of its adaptation into high fashion. The pattern of distinctive dark spots on its light-brown-yellowish coat are called rosettes as they resemble the shape of a rose. The black leopard (commonly called black panther) also has similar markings, but because of the darkness of its coat, the spots aren't visible.
An Overview
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera pardus
Distribution and Habitat
This cat inhabits regions of sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. Its numbers are said to be higher than the other species under Panthera. Its habitat can range from the rainforests to deserts. It prefers woodlands or grasslands.
Conservation Status
This species is classified as 'nearly threatened' in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. This is because of a decline in its numbers as it's being hunted as a part of wildlife trade and habitat loss. It is regionally extinct in Kuwait, Hong Kong, Libya, Tunisia, Syrian Arab Republic, and Singapore.
Appearance
On an average, this animal is between 3 to 5 feet (35 to 65 inches) long excluding the tail length. The tail is between 2 to 3 feet (24 to 40 inches) long. Males weigh between 66 to 200 lbs. (30 to 90 kg), while females weigh between 50 to 130 lbs. (25 to 60 kg). It is the smallest of the big cats within the genus Panthera as compared to lions, tigers, and jaguars. Males are up to 50% larger than females.
The color and pattern of the coat depend on the region that the leopard inhabits; those living in warmer, dryer areas have a light buff or tawny coat, while those that live in dense forests have a darker coat. East African leopards have circular spots, while southern African leopards have square rosettes.
Behavior
This is mainly a solitary creature. Each individual has its own home range, which usually overlaps with its neighbors. The animal stalks its territory, never staying in one spot for more than two or three days at a time. The territory is marked with urine and claw marks. Leopards make a rasping cough-like sound to announce their approach to other leopards.
Hunting and Diet
The leopard uses the stalking technique to hunt, wherein it very silently stalks the prey and attacks it suddenly, startling the animal. It kills its prey by strangling it by biting the neck. It can run at speeds as high as 40 miles per hour, making it easy for it to chase its prey. It can also jump to almost 10 feet in height.
A leopard's prey options are surprisingly wide and varied and include carrion, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, and baboons. It drags the killed prey into trees to prevent it from being stolen by lions and hyenas. It can drag carcasses three times its own weight (including small giraffes) onto trees. With regards to drinking, it does not need a lot of water; it lives off the moisture of its prey.
Breeding
A female usually gives birth to a litter of two or four cubs. The gestation period is from 90 to 105 days. The offspring are born with coats of smoky-gray, while their spots are not yet clearly delineated. The mother usually keeps the cubs hidden for the first 8 weeks. She suckles them for 3 months or longer and gives them a taste of meat at the 6th to 7th week. She will stay in one place with them till the time they are able to accompany her on her wanderings.
No matter how widely they are known, penguins always seem to fascinate people the world over. A lot has been known till date, about these pretty birds and their endearing ways. Popular culture speaks volumes about them, and they are often portrayed as being friendly, smart, and playful creatures. Some real-life accounts also describe them as being very amicable towards humans. Penguins, as it is known, are aquatic, flightless birds, inhabiting the southern hemisphere, mostly Antarctica. Numerous species of penguins are known to exist on the continent of Antarctica, each of which has certain peculiar traits that make them stand out. The Adélie penguin is one species that is found abundantly along the entire Antarctic coastline, alongside other penguin species and Antarctic fauna.
The Adélie penguins may have been known since long, but it was not until 1840 that the bird was studied and described scientifically. A naturalist, Jacques Bernard Hombron and a zoologist, Honoré Jacquinot, collected specimens and published their report on Adélie penguins in 1841. Both these gentlemen were part of a French expedition led by Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville, a French explorer and a naval officer. In the course of this expedition, several Antarctic islands were visited and a part of Antarctic mainland, where the Adélie penguin colonies were first visited by the humans and studied, was named after d'Urville's wife, Adéle. It was called the Adélie Land and the penguin, in turn, gets its name from this place. The Adélie penguins are the best studied among all the penguin species till date.
Physical Features
✩ Adélie penguins are essentially medium-sized birds, weighing somewhere between 7 to 13 lbs. Their body weight goes on varying as the seasons change, and during the annual molt (the time when they shed their old feathers) that happens between February and March, they lose as much as half their weight.
✩ They are about 18 to 30 inches in height, which makes them one of the smallest species of penguins in the Antarctic.
✩ One of the distinguishing features of the Adélie penguins are the white rings that surround their eyes. It is not found in any other penguin species.
✩ The red beak is covered with feathers, and hence it seems to be black from a distance.
✩ The tail is brush-like and is a little longer than that of the other species. In fact, Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are one of the three extant species of penguins having a peculiar kind of tail. They belong to the genus Pygoscelis. The other two are the Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) and the Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus). These three species of penguins are collectively called 'brush-tailed penguins' as their tail resembles a thick brush.
✩ Adélie penguins have robust and sturdy wings that help them push through the currents and facilitate swift underwater flying.
✩ On an average, an Adélie penguin can fly under water at a speed of 3 to 6 mph. However, in case of an emergency, such as protecting itself from a predator, it can increase its speed to about 15 mph.
✩ Their webbed feet and sturdy tail aid the Adélie penguins to control their movements under the surface of the water. They also use their feet and their flipper-like wings when they toboggan on ice i.e., when they lie on their bellies and slide down the ice cover.
✩ They have a uniform plumage over the entire body. It is invariably black and white in color - black on the back and while on the belly - such that the bird nearly resembles a tuxedo.
✩ The life expectancy of an Adélie penguin is about 10 to 15 years, if they do not fall prey to predators such as the lion seal and baleen whales.
Habitat
✩ Around 38 colonies of the Adélie penguins are known to exist along the whole of the Antarctic coast. About 5 million of these inhabit the Ross Sea region and some 160,000 live on Cape Bird, the northern extremity of Ross Island.
✩ Adélie penguins spend nearly all their lives at sea, under the pack ice (colossal, immobile mass of ice, formed due to freezing of sea water) that covers Antarctica.
✩ They only come ashore during the breeding season. At this time, they surface on barren beaches and rocky slopes in colossal numbers.
✩ They build nests out of stones, and become highly hostile whenever another mating pair attempts to steal the stones they have collected to build their nest.
✩ Once the breeding season is over, they return to the sea to look for new breeding grounds. They form groups while returning to the sea, so that they can save themselves from predators.
Behavior
✩ Adélie penguins are foragers by nature and display a highly social behavior. They are rarely found alone, and their flock is known as a 'colony'.
✩ They flock in crowded colonies, with an average colony consisting of about 250,000 pairs of birds.
✩ Adélie penguins are excellent swimmers, owing to all the adaptive features which they possess, but are a little clumsy on land. Due to their short legs, which are placed at the far back of their body, they have to walk awkwardly, in an upright position.
✩ For them, tobogganing seems like a better way to move around on land than walking. However, they seem to be quite agile when it comes to hopping over low obstacles or rocks.
✩ The main diet of the Adélie penguins comprises ice krill, Antarctic silverfish, and glacial squid. However, this varies depending on which region of the Antarctic coast the penguins inhabit.
Reproduction
✩ The Adélie penguins assemble at their breeding grounds when the winter ends and the spring is about to begin. This is roughly between the months of October and November.
✩ Each pair, then occupies a certain spot and enacts some complex mating rituals, before building their nest out of stones, as mentioned before.
✩ Two eggs are laid, and in December, the warmest month in the Antarctic, the parent penguins take turns to incubate the eggs; one goes to get food, while the other stays back to warm the eggs. The parent who incubates, fasts.
✩ In the month of March, the parents and their young ones, return to the sea.
✩ Interestingly, about 80% of Adélie penguins remain faithful to their partners. Sometimes, they tend to separate, but not before at least 5 to 6 years of being together.
✩ Adélie penguins possess some unusual mating habits, the most prevalent among which are homosexuality, physical and sexual abuse of young chicks, and mating with dead females.
With a total population of about 4 to 5 million birds, the Adélie penguin is not a threatened species as of now. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included it in its Near Threatened List that pertains to species which may be threatened with extinction in the near future. Increasing human disturbance in their habitat, in the form of tourism or scientific installations, is certainly resulting in the decline in the number of their colonies.
Read more at Buzzle:http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-adelie-penguin.html
Interesting Facts about Leopards
The leopard is a majestic cat that can reach speeds as high as 40 miles per hour while running. This Buzzle post makes for an entertaining read with more interesting facts to look forward to.
TAGGED UNDER: Leopards
Advertisement
Trivia
The famous saying that the leopard cannot change its spots is not true. As a matter of fact, a leopard does do so with time.
The leopard is a powerful climber, runner, and swimmer. This lethal combination makes it a predator par excellence. It is especially skillful in climbing up and down trees, carrying carcasses that are sometimes heavier than themselves, and it often descends headfirst. However, climbing down headfirst may not provide it with the necessary grip because its claws are curled inward. So, some leopards climb down tail first or side-on in order to get a proper grip.
By nature, this tree-climbing cat is secretive and elusive, but also very shrewd. It is nocturnal, which means that most of its activity takes place during the night. The hours of the day are reserved for resting on trees or thick bushes.
It also has a wonderful ability to adapt. While the best type of habitat for this creature is riverine forests or dense bushes in rocky surroundings, it is able to adapt to other forests and climates. In the face of loss of habitat due to deforestation and development, it is this ability that has held this animal in good stead.
The Famous Leopard's Spots
The leopard's spots are a very well-known and popular feature. The markings on its coat are quite famous, especially because of its adaptation into high fashion. The pattern of distinctive dark spots on its light-brown-yellowish coat are called rosettes as they resemble the shape of a rose. The black leopard (commonly called black panther) also has similar markings, but because of the darkness of its coat, the spots aren't visible.
An Overview
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera pardus
Distribution and Habitat
This cat inhabits regions of sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. Its numbers are said to be higher than the other species under Panthera. Its habitat can range from the rainforests to deserts. It prefers woodlands or grasslands.
Conservation Status
This species is classified as 'nearly threatened' in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. This is because of a decline in its numbers as it's being hunted as a part of wildlife trade and habitat loss. It is regionally extinct in Kuwait, Hong Kong, Libya, Tunisia, Syrian Arab Republic, and Singapore.
Appearance
On an average, this animal is between 3 to 5 feet (35 to 65 inches) long excluding the tail length. The tail is between 2 to 3 feet (24 to 40 inches) long. Males weigh between 66 to 200 lbs. (30 to 90 kg), while females weigh between 50 to 130 lbs. (25 to 60 kg). It is the smallest of the big cats within the genus Panthera as compared to lions, tigers, and jaguars. Males are up to 50% larger than females.
The color and pattern of the coat depend on the region that the leopard inhabits; those living in warmer, dryer areas have a light buff or tawny coat, while those that live in dense forests have a darker coat. East African leopards have circular spots, while southern African leopards have square rosettes.
Behavior
This is mainly a solitary creature. Each individual has its own home range, which usually overlaps with its neighbors. The animal stalks its territory, never staying in one spot for more than two or three days at a time. The territory is marked with urine and claw marks. Leopards make a rasping cough-like sound to announce their approach to other leopards.
Hunting and Diet
The leopard uses the stalking technique to hunt, wherein it very silently stalks the prey and attacks it suddenly, startling the animal. It kills its prey by strangling it by biting the neck. It can run at speeds as high as 40 miles per hour, making it easy for it to chase its prey. It can also jump to almost 10 feet in height.
A leopard's prey options are surprisingly wide and varied and include carrion, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, and baboons. It drags the killed prey into trees to prevent it from being stolen by lions and hyenas. It can drag carcasses three times its own weight (including small giraffes) onto trees. With regards to drinking, it does not need a lot of water; it lives off the moisture of its prey.
Breeding
A female usually gives birth to a litter of two or four cubs. The gestation period is from 90 to 105 days. The offspring are born with coats of smoky-gray, while their spots are not yet clearly delineated. The mother usually keeps the cubs hidden for the first 8 weeks. She suckles them for 3 months or longer and gives them a taste of meat at the 6th to 7th week. She will stay in one place with them till the time they are able to accompany her on her wanderings.
Posted in: animals
