Penguins : Kids Picture Book and Facts about Penguins (Facts about Animals in the Sea 1)

Penguins are shaped like mini torpedoes , with long bodies, short tails, short necks and big heads. They are designed to be fast and maneuverable under water — this is because one of their main foods is fish! No, penguins are not mammals. Yes, penguins have feathers all over their bodies to keep them warm and provide camouflage.

Their outer feathers are interlocked, and prevent water from getting into the downy feathers near their skin. The black and white plumage may seem rather conspicuous out of the water, but when penguins are swimming it is a different matter. The white of their undersides hides them against the reflected light and ice on the surface. The darkness of their backs conceals them from above. Their wings have evolved to be more like flippers.

However, if you watch a penguin swimming, you can see that their swimming style looks very like they are flying through the water. Penguins can propel themselves out of the water at high speeds. It can look as if they are flying out of the water. Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere. This means that if you divide the world in two around the equator, all of the penguins are found on the bottom half. Most penguins live near Antarctica , where it is cold.

However, some species live near the equator. Penguins eat food from the sea such as krill, fish and squid. Emperor penguins have been recorded at depths of metres! Most penguins form large breeding colonies. Male and female penguins stay together for a breeding season some stay together for life , taking it in turns to incubate the egg or eggss. Emperor and king penguins the largest varieties of penguins only lay one egg. Amazingly, scientists do not agree over exactly how many penguin species there are. This is because some types of penguin are so similar that some scientists consider them to be the same species of penguin, whereas others think that they are different species!

African penguin — this type of penguin is found in South Africa.

Its belly is not entirely white. In many cases, the male and female will continue to mate with each other for most of their lives. For example, research has found that chinstrap penguins re-paired with the same partner 82 percent of the time and gentoo penguins re-paired 90 percent of the time. At around three to eight years old, a penguin is mature enough to mate. Most species breed during the spring and summer. The male usually starts the mating ritual and will pick out a nice nesting site before he approaches a female.

After mating, the female emperor or king penguin will lay a single egg. All other species of penguins lay two eggs. The two parents will take turns holding the eggs between their legs for warmth in a nest. The one exception is the emperor penguin. The female of this species will place the egg on the male's feet to keep warm in his fat folds while she goes out and hunts for several weeks.

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When penguin chicks are ready to hatch, they use their beaks to break through the shell of their eggs. This process can take up to three days. After the chicks emerge, the parents will take turns feeding their offspring with regurgitated food. Penguin parents can identify their offspring by unique calls that the chick will make.

Most of the other species of penguins are listed as vulnerable or threatened. The chinstrap penguin has a stripe of black that runs from one side of its head to the other. This strip looks like a chinstrap. The shape of all penguins makes them aerodynamic. It is the perfect shape for gliding through the water as they swim. The writing is fun and lively as well as educational. The vivid images of different penguins will draw your child into their amazing world and will keep them coming back for more. At the end of each chapter are more fun facts.

This invites further learning with added information about the topic, allowing your child to gain even a higher level of understanding. The images are highly detailed providing you with a fantastic, educational opportunity, giving your child a clear look at penguins that they may never otherwise experience. This book is truly a great way for children to explore, learn and to have fun while they dive into the world of penguins. This educational book will spark their interest and keep them coming back for more. Read more Read less. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser.

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