Penguins are flightless birds which means that they do not fly. But they still have very stiff wings that are called flippers. Their wings do help them swim through the water at speeds up to 20 mph (Gilpin, 2001, p. 1). Other parts of the penguin’s body help them swim too. A penguin’s body is shaped like a torpedo, so it can easily cut through the water. They also have strong webbed feet and a stubby tail which it uses to help steer through the water (Brennan, 2002, p.10). When penguins go underwater, they can not breathe the way fish do, but they breathe the way we do. Since they have lungs, they must go back up to the surface to get air the same way that humans do. When diving underwater, penguins have to try and overcome three problems: accessing enough oxygen to carry on body functions, withstanding pressure at depth and staying warm and dry (Love, 1997, p. 19).

nds of food, but some to do tend to go to greater lengths than others to try and get some dinner. The greatest travelers are the emperor penguins. They can stay at sea for as long as a month and travel as far as 950 miles (Gilpin, 2001, p. 8). Penguins’ eyes are well adapted for the underwater environment, and some penguins have better vision in the water than on dry land. They can use their white stomachs as camouflage, which can help to hide them from other fish in the water below them. Like some other kinds of birds, penguins have no teeth, but they have rough spikes on their tongue and the roof of their mouth (Gilpin, 2001, p. 9). When penguins are at sea looking for some food, they usually try and eat as much as they can. A Large penguin can collect up to 30 fish in one dive (Brennan, 2002, p. 16). Penguins also swallow pebbles and stones as well as their regular food. Scientists are still unsure of why they do this. They believe that the stones may help the penguins grind up and digest their food. And they think that the stones may add enough extra weight to help penguins when they want to dive deep down (Brennan, 2002, p. 16).

A Penguin chick takes about a full day to break out if its shell. When they come out of the shell, the baby penguins, called chicks, are only covered with a thin layer of down at first. Since it is hard for them to keep warm at this young age, the parents of the hick brood them for several weeks until they are able to regulate their own body temperatures (Love, 1997, p.51). After the brooding

Some topics in this essay:
Southern Hemisphere, gilpin 2001, , king penguin, brennan 2002, love 1997, brennan 2002 16, penguins flightless birds, 2002 16 penguins, gilpin 2001 p11, flightless birds, help swim, 2002 16, penguin chicks, emperor penguins, penguin’s body,