Helen has written answers to some of our most frequently asked questions about penguins
Are there any people in the world that eat penguins by any chance? If so does penguin taste good?
Today there are important conservation agreements in Antarctica and around the world that protect penguins, so these days you aren’t likely to see them on the dinner table. However, in the past penguins were a very important food. Māori people in New Zealand ate penguins when they first arrived on the island, and in some cases penguin species went extinct because they were overhunted. When the explorer Ernest Shackleton and his men were stuck in the sea ice in the Weddell sea near Antarctica, meat from penguins and seals helped them survive and return safely home. I can’t tell you whether they liked it though!
Why do penguins live in the cold ?/ If penguins get in an hot place do they die ?
Penguins actually live in lots of places other than Antarctica and some of them are pretty warm. There are about 20 species of penguins (scientists are still trying to figure out how many there are) and you can see some of them in South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and in many sub-Antarctic islands (islands just north of Antarctica). The penguins that live only in Antarctica (Adelie penguins and Emperor penguins) don’t have to worry about the cold in the same way that we do. They have had lots of time over centuries to evolve special traits that help them survive in the cold like insulating feathers and thick fat. You’re right that some of the things that help them survive in the cold might make living in a warm place hard. This is why zoos that have penguins work hard to keep their homes at the temperature that penguins prefer.
Penguin movement: Have you seen penguins slide? Can they fly? / why cant penguins fly?
Yes! We have seen penguins slide and it was awesome! The thing that was amazing to me was to see how quickly they could move sliding on their bellies- definitely a lot faster than walking! Penguins cannot fly. Their ancestors probably had the ability to fly many many years ago but over time that ability was lost. This was probably because penguin wings were evolving and changing shape to help them become better swimmers (which is how they get food from the ocean). Becoming a better swimmer meant that penguins stopped being able to fly.
Do penguins have a longer life span than other animals in Antarctica?
Nope! Whales in Antarctica can live longer than penguins (e.g. over 50 years!)
Are there any people in the world that eat penguins by any chance? If so does penguin taste good?
Today there are important conservation agreements in Antarctica and around the world that protect penguins, so these days you aren’t likely to see them on the dinner table. However, in the past penguins were a very important food. Māori people in New Zealand ate penguins when they first arrived on the island, and in some cases penguin species went extinct because they were overhunted. When the explorer Ernest Shackleton and his men were stuck in the sea ice in the Weddell sea near Antarctica, meat from penguins and seals helped them survive and return safely home. I can’t tell you whether they liked it though!
Why do penguins live in the cold ?/ If penguins get in an hot place do they die ?
Penguins actually live in lots of places other than Antarctica and some of them are pretty warm. There are about 20 species of penguins (scientists are still trying to figure out how many there are) and you can see some of them in South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and in many sub-Antarctic islands (islands just north of Antarctica). The penguins that live only in Antarctica (Adelie penguins and Emperor penguins) don’t have to worry about the cold in the same way that we do. They have had lots of time over centuries to evolve special traits that help them survive in the cold like insulating feathers and thick fat. You’re right that some of the things that help them survive in the cold might make living in a warm place hard. This is why zoos that have penguins work hard to keep their homes at the temperature that penguins prefer.
Penguin movement: Have you seen penguins slide? Can they fly? / why cant penguins fly?
Yes! We have seen penguins slide and it was awesome! The thing that was amazing to me was to see how quickly they could move sliding on their bellies- definitely a lot faster than walking! Penguins cannot fly. Their ancestors probably had the ability to fly many many years ago but over time that ability was lost. This was probably because penguin wings were evolving and changing shape to help them become better swimmers (which is how they get food from the ocean). Becoming a better swimmer meant that penguins stopped being able to fly.
Do penguins have a longer life span than other animals in Antarctica?
Nope! Whales in Antarctica can live longer than penguins (e.g. over 50 years!)