Are there penguins in the tundra? Habitats of different types of penguins

Where do penguins live? Why do penguins live in the southern hemisphere? And why has no one seen them in the Arctic? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

- these are flightless seabirds and of course they live in Antarctica - this is the southern polar part of the Earth, it includes: the mainland Antarctica, the southern margins of three oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian. Therefore, if you want to see penguins, then you need to go to the southern hemisphere of the earth or go to the nearest zoo. It is also worth noting that penguins are found not only in Antarctica, but also in the north of New Zealand, the southern coast of Australia and America (Argentina), in Africa, and even settled on the equator ( Galapagos Islands), but also note that penguins only choose cold currents.

With climate change and the shift of Antarctica to the south pole, many animal species have left the ice-covered mainland.

So moving on to the answer to the question: Why do penguins live in Antarctica? It is worth looking at history.

The ancestors of penguins lived in temperate climate- when Antarctica was not yet a solid piece of ice. But with climate change and the movement of the mainland closer to the south pole, most of the penguin species became extinct, some left the ice-covered Antarctica, but there were those who adapted to life in Antarctica, which was covered with ice.

Summarizing the above:

The ancestors of penguins originated in the southern hemisphere, in a temperate climate, when Antarctica was not yet a solid piece of ice, but with climate change and the movement of the mainland to the south pole, some penguin species have adapted to live in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. With cold currents, they can penetrate all the way to the equator (where the Galapagos penguin lives). However, there are no currents connecting the north polar region with the south, so the tropical belt turns out to be an insurmountable obstacle for birds, the distance between the north and south poles is really huge and penguins will not be able to cross it.

Now you know why penguins live in Antarctica and not in the Arctic.

Did you know that penguins have lived since the time of the dinosaurs? And if the latter were unlucky and scientists restore their appearance from the bones, then the ancestors of the penguins, who appeared 70 million years ago, still delight us with their unusual habits.

most penguins live in Antarctica which is located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. They are very fond of the cold, and can withstand temperatures down to -110 degrees. They have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and three layers of feathers. The body fat of a penguin is half its weight. By the way, that's why they were called that. The Spanish word "penguin" means "fat, overweight." In a snow storm, a fat "fur coat" is very necessary. In a blizzard, when wind gusts reach a speed of 30 meters per second, not a single feather on the penguin flutters, everyone lies smoothly, covering the bird with a dense shell

Penguins are birds even though they can't fly at all. But they are excellent swimmers and divers. Since their wings are not adapted for flight, they are used as fins. And thanks to their body, similar to a torpedo, penguins reach speeds under water up to 40 kilometers per hour. These birds spend half their lives in the water, swimming or foraging for food - fish, plankton and shellfish. They can dive to depths of up to five hundred meters while holding their breath. for 30 minutes.

Penguins move on their hind legs with short steps, keeping their body upright. Their speed on land is a maximum of 2 km / h, but they can go up to 100 km without stopping. And if you need to move faster, they lie on their belly and glide through the snow like on a sleigh, pushing off with their wings and legs.

Penguins live in large colonies. consisting of many families. These birds recognize their relatives by smell. And they use sign language to communicate. They shake their heads or flap their wings to communicate.

Penguins - good parents . The penguin lays one or two eggs, the appearance of which the future parents greet with joyful cries. They bow and thank each other. Then the father penguin takes the egg and hides it in the fat fold on the abdomen. He will keep it on paws - flippers 2 months standing on bitter cold and strong wind almost without moving. At this time, the mother penguin goes far to the sea to hunt for food. Fathers usually crowd together so as not to freeze themselves. The chicks hatch covered in soft fluff, but after three weeks the parents leave the chicks and only occasionally return to feed them. From this time on, the chicks begin to unite in close groups - kindergartens. And a year later, when the kids have waterproof feathers, they become completely independent.

In nature, polar bears and penguins live on opposite sides of the equator: bears - in the polar regions of the northern hemisphere, penguins - in the waters of Antarctica, off the coast of New Zealand, South America.

The similarity between them is that both live in the coldest regions of the Earth.

Where and how do polar bears live?

Polar bears settled in the northern territories of Russia, Canada, the USA, on the coast Barents Sea, Chukotka, Wrangel Island, Greenland, on the lands of Lapland. When the weather is favorable, the animals reach North Pole.

Even the Arctic desert has become their habitat - the zone Arctic deserts, where in winter the temperature can drop to -60 °С, and in the warmest time of the year, in July, it rises only to +3 °С.

For most of the year, hurricane-force icy winds blow there, snowstorms are frequent, and in the harsh Arctic summer, at almost constant 0 ° C, gray clouds cover the sky, and fog from the ocean envelops the land. There is no vegetation in the Arctic deserts, with the exception of rare islands of lichen and moss. No animals except polar bear, arctic fox, lemming on land, and in the sea - walrus and seal.

How do bears survive in the Arctic wilderness?

They have adapted perfectly to the merciless climate!

The polar bear, also known as the polar bear, umka, oshkuy, is the largest land predator on the planet. Scientists and travelers have observed animals up to 3 m in length and over 1 ton in weight.

The layer of subcutaneous fat in a bear is up to 10 cm, and together with internal (“internal”, as they say in the north) fat, it makes up about 40% of body weight. With such a “heater” and at the same time a “stove” (fat is the main energy supplier in the body), the umka is not afraid of the monstrous frost of the Arctic, its storms and winds.

To match the fat layer and the fur of a polar bear. It has a special structure: white translucent fibers pass only ultra-violet rays and don't miss infrared radiation without allowing the body of the animal to cool down. The villi resemble tubules - inside they are hollow and are air chambers, which serves as another barrier to cold air. The fur grows even on the soles of the animal: in such "boots" the animal does not slip and does not freeze.


The unique thermal insulation allows the predator to live quietly on the snow and overcome tens of kilometers of the Arctic deserts and in literally icy arctic waters.

Where and how do penguins live?

Seven species of penguins - emperor, Adélie penguin, Antarctic, king, golden-haired, gentoo and crested - have chosen even more severe territory - Antarctica, as their place of residence, polar regions southern hemisphere. At the South Pole, the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded in December 2013 - -91.2 ° C. And on average, the temperature of Antarctica in winter is -60 ° C, in summer - -30 ° C.

But, of course, land birds penguins do not live in such monstrous conditions. So, crested penguin lives on Tierra del Fuego, Tasmania, the islands of the Subantarctic. The endemic of the Snares archipelago - the Snares crested penguin - lives on islands that are densely overgrown with shrubs and trees. Subantarctic penguin - in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Heard and others.

The largest and fattest birds - emperor penguins, which weigh an average of 40 kg, are distributed south to the South Pole, the farthest and live on the ice surrounding Antarctica. Only for incubation of eggs do they float away to more warm places.

How do penguins stay warm in Antarctica?

flightless birds in “black tailcoats” they adapted to live, if not in severe cold, like polar bears, but in constant “coolness”, when in summer the temperature often does not rise above + 5 ° C, and in winter it is predominantly -30 ° C.

They have a thick layer of fat - up to 3 cm, dense waterproof feathers, between which there is a lot of air - an "air chamber". But the most interesting thing is the paws of the penguins! They not only do not freeze, but also do not freeze to ice, snow.

Completely naked - without feathers, fluff - penguin paws have a temperature of only +4 ° C. Such a physiological setting allows you to endure severe frost as a norm. At the same time, the body temperature of the bird is 39 ... 40 ° C. Wise nature provided penguins with a unique mechanism of blood circulation, organized on the principle of reverse outflow.

With it, hot arterial blood, on the way to the paws, passes very close to the veins and gives off part of its heat to the already cold venous blood. Venous blood carries heat back to the heart, and cooled arterial blood goes to the paws, maintaining only +4 ° C in them. If the paws of the penguins were hot, they would freeze very quickly, but first they froze into the ice, killing the bird.


Another mechanism of protection from the cold - groups. So, emperor penguins gather in a dense group, heating the air inside it to +35 ° C, when it is -20 ° C outside. Penguins "circulate" in the group, moving from the center to the edge and back.

22.09.2017 08:49 1256

Penguins are the symbol of Antarctica. They inhabited this continent since ancient times, when it was not covered with ice. Gradually, the climate on the planet changed. The location of the continents was not the same as now, and Antarctica gradually approached the South Pole, the place where it is now. Many animals of that time died out unable to withstand the onset of cold. But the penguins were able to adapt to the new climatic conditions. A thick layer of fat, about 2-3 cm, helps them keep warm in a harsh climate. Penguins feed on fish and small crustaceans. Their wings turned out to be too weak for flight, but they help to swim perfectly in order to get food.

The largest penguins are the king and emperor. They inhabit the shores of Antarctica and the islands closest to it. These unusual birds like to gather in colonies, original flocks. From all sides their bird voices are heard along the shore.

However, penguins live not only in Antarctica. They inhabit the very south of Africa, the western part of South America, the coasts of New Zealand and the southern coast of Australia. Penguins like the cool, so cold currents flow in their habitats outside of Antarctica.

Spectacled penguins live in southern Africa, near the Cape of Good Hope. In the very south of Chile, in the region of Patagonia, Magellanic penguins live. They got their name in honor of the great navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who discovered their habitats. The Humboldt penguin lives in western South America. It builds its nests on rocky shores where the cold Peruvian current passes. A large crested penguin lives off the coast of Australia. Unlike other penguin species, it can move its feathers. Well, the Galapagos penguin lives farthest from Antarctica. Its habitat is the Galapagos Islands. They are not far from the equator and belong to the state of Ecuador. The air temperature on the islands is from 20 to 30 degrees!

Everyone knows penguins - these unusual birds.

With as if wearing a tailcoat on the body and red paws and beak, these beauties are very popular and loved.

Moreover, the general majority of people think that penguins live exclusively in Antarctica.

However, this is not entirely true, the thing is that there are as many as 18 species of penguins and only 3 of them live directly in Antarctica and its coastal waters. But first things first.

Currently living penguins are flightless but good swimmers. In the water, penguins move very quickly - about ten kilometers per hour. But on land they are clumsy, and although the webbed feet help the penguins to stay straight, they move along the ground at a speed of only a few kilometers per hour, but at the same time they are able to cover distances of up to 100 kilometers.

The harsh conditions in which some species of penguins live force them to stray into numerous flocks and even colonies. During a severe cold and blizzard, the birds cling to each other, keeping warm.
These birds feed mainly on fish - sardines, anchovies, silverfish. And some species prefer shrimp and shellfish. Birds drink sea water.

Where do they live?

And so where do they live, these same penguins. Many of us, sometimes even for a minute, but still have a doubt, but where in the Arctic or Antarctic? But there should be no doubt - penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere and only the Southern, and not only in the icy Antarctic and its coastal waters. Their habitat is a very large area - this is southern part Australia, and New Zealand, and South Africa, the coast of Peru, and even the Galapagos Islands, where it is more than warm. But to be more precise...

1. Directly in Antarctica and its coastal waters, only two species of penguins live in our time - these are Adélie, Antarctic and Imperial.
2. King penguins, as well as Magellans, inhabit the islands - South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, Tierra del Fuego, Macquarie, Hurd, Crozet.
3. Crested penguins live on the islands of Tasmania and off the coast of Peru.
4. Victoria penguins or thick-billed penguins live on the Stewart Islands and on the South coast of New Zealand.
5. Golden-domed - inhabits the southern parts of Chile, as well as the islands Tierra del Fuego and Falkland.
6. Little penguins live on the coast of South Australia and New Zealand.
7. The main place of residence for Magnificent penguins became the Campbell Archipelago, Bounty Island and Macquarie Island.
8. Schlegel penguins also live there on Macquarie.
9. Galapagos penguins, as the name implies, live in the Galapagos Islands.
10. Humboldt penguins live on the coast of Chile and Peru.
11. Papuans live in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Kerguelen archipelago.
12. Spectacled penguins - the coast of South Africa and Namibia.

Does the penguin live in captivity?

Penguins are great creatures and breed very well in zoos. Moreover, it has been established that in captivity, these birds live much longer. Most likely simply because wild nature penguins have a very harsh lifestyle, clearly not conducive to life extension - beyond low temperatures, difficulties with subsistence and simply an incredible number of enemies - predators for which penguins are a means of subsistence.

That is why today special nurseries began to be created, the main purpose of which is to contribute to an increase in penguin populations.