Why Penguin Can Not Fly?

Penguin including the type of bird that can not fly though have wings. The Proportion of penguin wings to his body are smaller than other birds. That is why penguins can not fly.

emperor penguinfairy penguin
The Largest Penguin - Emperor Penguin | The Smallest Penguin - Fairy Penguin

Penguin uses tiny wings as paddles to swim faster. Penguin was good at swimming, penguins capable to swimm with speeds of 6-12 km / h, and even record up to 27 km / h. Small penguins normally dive for one to two minutes on the surface of the water to catch food. Larger penguins, emperor penguins can dive is deeper, to 565 meters for 20 minutes.

Scientific Facts About Penguins

1. There are 18 species of penguins in the world, 13 of which the population is on the decline.
2. Emperor penguins are the largest penguin, weighing up to 40 kg and a height of 1.1 meters, while the Fairy Penguin is the smallest penguin, weighing up to 1 kg and a height of about 40 cm.
3. Penguins are generally found in the southern hemisphere such as Antarctica, South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
4. Penguins are carnivores, their diet is fish, squid and shrimp.
5. Penguin eyes work better underwater than in air and ground.
6. A penguin can live to the age of 15-20 years. They spend 75% of his life in the sea.
7. Around the world there are 16 species of penguins (depending on whether the two Eudyptula species as well as species counted). Although all penguin species originally came from the southern hemisphere, but penguins are not found only in cold regions or in the Antarctic. There are three species of penguins that live in the tropics. One of the species living in the Galapagos Islands (Galapagos Penguin) and usually cross the equator in search of food.
8. Penguins can drink sea water because supraorbital gland filters excess salt in the body of a sea of ​​blood flow. Salt is then issued in the form of liquid through the respiratory tract of penguin.
9. Each penguin has a white color on the inside of his body and a dark color (usually black) on the outside of the body. It is useful for camouflage. Predators such as sea lions from the water will be difficult to see the penguins belly is white because it mixes with sea water surface reflection. While the dark surface on his back also disguise the penguins of sight of predators on the water.

Scientific Classification of Penguin

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Neognathae
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae