[Curiosities] 11 fascinating things about penguins. They have the same partner all their lives, and the males lay eggs

[Mindsphere.]

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These waterfowl, unable to fly, live in the southern hemisphere and, contrary to common perception, not all of them are small black and white creatures. Of various sizes, with a black and white appearance or even a rich color, penguins are extremely cute creatures that everyone loves. Thanks to their adorable looks, they have become the subject of movies, from documentaries to cartoons, such as "Happy Feet", "Madagascar", "Mr. Popper's Penguins", "The Emperor's Way", "Mumble, the coolest dancer" or "We all surf." Here are some interesting things about this flightless bird. 1. All 17 known penguin species live exclusively in the southern hemisphere. 2. With a height of about 1.20 meters and a weight of up to 45 kilograms, the imperial penguin is the tallest of all species. It lives in Antarctica, where it dives to feed on fish and shellfish. The smallest is the dwarf penguin, with a height of only 40 centimeters and a weight of up to one kilogram. 3. The fastest is the Gentoo penguin, which is said to swim at a speed of 36km / h. 4. The color of the penguins is a matter of camouflage: the black back helps them hide in the dark depths of the ocean, thus avoiding predators such as seals, and the white chest helps them go unnoticed on the shiny surface of the water. 5. The fossils found show that the first penguin species appeared about 60 million years ago, which means that an ancestor of today's bird survived the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. 6. Penguins swallow a large amount of salt water while hunting fish, but the supraorbital gland - located above the eyes, filters the salt so that it does not reach the blood. Then remove it by beak or sneeze. 7. Unlike the other winged smiles, which lose a few feathers, the penguins bark completely, the new plumage appearing after about two or three weeks. 8. With the exception of two species, all the others live in very large colonies, consisting of about 1,000 birds. 9. Most species are loyal and choose to mate with the same partner each season. Moreover, they prefer to arrange their nest in the same place, in some situations the penguins returning to the place where they came into the world. 10. The male is in charge of hatching the eggs, while the females are in charge of hunting. He stands upright and holds the egg under his feet, in a crease in his abdomen, transferring body heat to the egg. 11. Although the ears are not visible, the penguins have a very fine hearing, being able to easily recognize in the colony the cry of the partner.