Wings under the water
We think of birds as creatures of the air. So it’s always a little
surprising to learn that some birds can’t fly. But have you ever heard
of a bird that can swim like a fish and stay underwater for more than an
hour?
This champion underwater swimming bird is the penguin. You may have
thought of penguins as land birds that waddle about the snowy land near
the South Pole—but they are really sea birds. Some kinds of penguins
often stay at sea for months at a time!
Penguins can’t fly. Long ago, their wings developed into flippers, like
the flippers of a sea turtle. With their flippers and fish-shaped
bodies, penguins are marvelous swimmers. Underwater, some kinds of
penguins can swim faster than most people can run.
Penguins catch all their food in the water. They feed on fish, squid,
and small crabs, as well as the same tiny, shrimplike creatures that
some whales eat. Like most sea birds, they can drink salty seawater. A
special part in the bill takes the salt out of the water.
There are a number of different kinds of penguins. All of them live in
the southern part of the world. Most penguins are rather large. The
biggest is the emperor penguin. It may stand as much as four feet (1.2
meters) high—about the size of a seven-year-old child. One of the
smallest—the Galapagos penguin —is about twenty inches (50
centimeters) tall.
Penguins are safe when they are on land. But in the water, they are
always in danger. For penguins are often eaten by sharks, killer whales,
and leopard seals.
