World Penguin Day
When you think of Antarctica, what flashes into your mind? Icebergs? Whales? Almost certainly penguins! Penguins are a common sight across the Sub-Antarctic and Antarctica, hopping, sliding, and swimming their way across beaches, ice, and beneath the frigid water.
Penguins are fascinating animals, perfectly adapted for life at sea in the harsh climate of the wild southern seas. Swift and agile in the water but clumsy on land, penguins have become a wildlife icon. To celebrate penguins in all of their uniqueness and to raise awareness for conservation efforts worldwide, each year, on April 25, World Penguin Day is celebrated across the globe!
As a salute to our finely attired friends and to help you celebrate World Penguin Day, Oceanwide Expeditions has created a fun penguin pop quiz to test your knowledge about these often cute, always impressive, and endlessly interesting birds!
Question 1: Penguins are best suited for moving…
A. In water.
B. In the air.
C. Across the dance floor.
D. They never move out of their parents’ house.
Question 2: World Penguin Day coincides with…
A. The summer equinox.
B. Adelie penguins’ annual return to the sea.
C. The invention of the tuxedo.
D. Paul McCartney’s birthday.
Picture by Siegfried Woldhek
Question 3: Which number most closely coincides with the world’s penguin population?
A. 5,000,000,000.
B. 123,000.
C. 40,000,000.
D. 42.
Question 4: Where in the world are penguins located?
A. Wherever there is trouble!
B. Mexico.
C. Canada and Iceland.
D. Mainly the South Pole and its surrounding regions.
Picture by Jan Bryde
Question 5: How do penguins find their mates and chicks in colonies that can number in the tens of thousands?
A. They recognize distinct vocal calls.
B. Smell.
C. Special dances.
D. They don’t. All penguins look alike, even to each other.
Question 6: How do penguins make their way across land?
A. Moonwalk, Electric Slide, and the Foxtrot.
B. Shuffling, sliding on their bellies, and hopping.
C. Limousine.
D. They don’t. They fly.
Picture by Siegfried Woldhek
Question 7: World Penguin Day began where?
A. Toronto.
B. The canals of Holland.
C. McMurdo Station in the Antarctic.
D. The north pole.
Question 8: Why do penguins have “tuxedos”?
A. To attract tourist dollars.
B. The better question is, why don’t you, you boorish lout!?
C. They’d never find each other in the snow if they were all white.
D. It acts as camouflage when they’re in the water.
Picture by Ilja Reijnen
Question 9: What is the main reason why some penguins “porpoise” (fling themselves through the air while swimming)?
A. Flight envy.
B. To catch bugs.
C. To coat themselves with air bubbles.
D. Because jumping over whales is fun.
Question 10: The fairy penguin is…
A. The largest type of penguin.
B. The smallest type of penguin.
C. The middlest type of penguin.
D. Doesn’t exist, you made that up.
Picture by Janine Oosterhuis
Answers:
Question 1: Penguins are best suited for moving…
A. In the water.
They might not be the most graceful of creatures on land, but when they’re in the water penguins display an amazing ability to swim. Gentoo penguins have been clocked swimming up to 40 km per hour!
Question 2: World Penguin Day coincides with…
B. Adelie penguins’ annual return to the sea.
Adelie penguins reach their mating grounds in late October through early November. By the following March their eggs have hatched and the young are ready to make the march back to the hunting grounds of the sea.
And what a march it is. The average Adelie penguin migration is 13,000 km!
(By the way, Paul McCartney’s birthday is June 18th.)
Question 3: Which number most closely coincides with the world’s penguin population?
C. 40,000,000.
Penguins are divided into 18 different species worldwide. While some are extremely populous, 13 of the species have declining populations, and 5 are considered endangered.
Question 4: Where in the world are penguins located?
D. Mainly the South Pole and its surrounding regions.
While this is for the most part true, penguins do travel further north than the Sub-Antarctic Oceans, some populations reaching the southern tips of South America, New Zealand, and Australia.
There’s even one species, the Galapagos penguin, which lives on the Galapagos Islands, found off the west coast of South America.
Question 5: How do penguins find their mates and chicks in colonies that can number in the tens of thousands?
A. They recognize distinct vocal calls.
The largest of penguin colonies can actually number into the millions, but mom can still pick out her baby from the cacophony.
Question 6: How do penguins make their way across land?
B. Shuffling, sliding on their bellies, and hopping.
Depending on the species, penguins on land generally fall into 2 types – shufflers or hoppers. The fastest shufflers manage about 3km per hour tops.
Question 7: World Penguin Day began where?
C. McMurdo Station in the Antarctic.
Researchers at McMurdo noticed that Adelie penguins kept passing by every year around the same day – April 25th. When you’re in the Antarctic anything can become an excuse for a celebration – and thus World Penguin Day was born!
Question 8: Why do penguins have “tuxedos”?
D. It acts as camouflage when they’re in the water.
When a predator is in the water looking down at penguins the bird’s black back matches the dark depths of the ocean. When the predators are below looking up, the penguins’ white bellies match the light from the sky. This kind of camouflage is known as “countershading.”
Question 9: What is the main reason why some penguins “porpoise” (fling themselves through the air while swimming)?
C. To coat themselves with air bubbles.
As they fling themselves through the air penguins trap microscopic bubbles of air in amongst their plumage. This reduces friction in the water, allowing them to swim faster.
Biologists theorize that porpoising also lets the penguins catch a breath, evade predators, and that they might even do it for fun!
Question 10: The fairy penguin is…
B. The smallest type of penguin.
Found in Australia and New Zealand, the Fairy penguin grows to an average of only 33 centimetres.
So how can you celebrate World Penguin Day?
So? How did you do? If you didn't get all of the answers right, don't worry. The beauty of the natural world is that you are always one step away from experiencing something new or discovering new information!
Regardless of the result, be sure to celebrate World Penguin Day! One way to make the most of the big day is to throw a penguin-themed party. Dress up in your black and whites (of course), serve raw fish, and dodge seals. Another option is planning a cruise to Antarctica to meet your favorite penguin in the wild. On our expedition cruises, you will almost certainly see some iconic penguin species, including Adélie, macaroni, gentoo, king, rockhopper, and the mighty emperor.
Celebrate World Penguin Day with your family, friends, and fellow polar adventurers, and share your favorite facts with us! Penguins are an important species in our oceans, and their conservation requires support and the spread of knowledge. Making World Penguin Day as impactful, fun, and insightful as possible improves the outcome of conservation efforts worldwide!
Sure, it'll be hard to pick your favorite little fellow out in a group picture; still, you'll be satisfied knowing you're doing something to help preserve their environment.
Happy World Penguin Day!