Connecticut

NATURE
Common Core State Standard ELA: Reading Informational Text (3.1-7 through 6.1-7)

Animal Spotlight- Penguins

Article written by the Mystic Aquarium staff

Did you know that penguins live in Africa? Many people think of penguins as only living in cold climates, but penguins live from the tropical Galapagos
Islands to the ice of Antarctica. There are 17 species of penguins. They are found living on every continent in the Southern
Hemisphere.

Penguins are birds! Like all other birds they have wings that are covered with feathers, lay eggs and are warm-blooded. But, unlike most other birds
penguins cannot fly. This is due to their solid bone structure and lack of flight feathers on their wings. These characteristics are, however, excellent for
swimming, and penguins can “fly” through the water at speeds as fast as 15 miles per hour. Some penguin species spend as much as 80% of their lives
in the ocean. They are usually found near nutrient-rich, cold-water currents that provide an abundant supply of food. Penguins use their hooked beaks
to catch their fish and swallow their fish down whole.

Penguins’ black and white coloring is very effective camouflage, known as countershading. This coloration helps them hide from predators and sneak
up on prey in the ocean. If a predator swims below the penguin and looks up, its white belly blends in with the bright sunlight. If a predator swims
above and looks down, its black back blends in with the darkness of the ocean’s depths.

At Mystic Aquarium we have African penguins. African penguins in the wild range from Namibia to South Africa, they are the only penguin species to
breed and nest on the continent of Africa. As adults, African penguins range from 18-25 inches tall and weigh up to 11 pounds. African penguins eat
small fish such as anchovies and sardines, but also prey on squid and krill. An adult African penguin can eat up to one pound of food or up to 14% of its
body weight. Spending time on land and in the sea, these birds have a variety of predators including gulls, feral cats, mongoose, sharks and fur seals.

In 2010, the African penguin was re-classified as an Endangered Species on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of
Nature) red list. The population size has decreased 70% over the past 10 years with numbers falling to around 100,000 birds
in the wild. Threats to African penguins include oil spills, commercial fishing, habitat loss, introduced predators and climate
change induced shifts in water currents.
Cool Connections to learn more:
• Visit http://mysticaquarium.org/animals-and-exhibits/species-of-the-month for additional facts on African penguins, see more questions and answers
with a penguin trainer and view photos and videos of our penguins.
• SANCCOB is a leading marine non-profit organization with a vision to conserve seabirds and other sea life, especially threatened species such as the
African penguin. Visit http://www.sanccob.co.za/ to learn more.
• Take part in a Mystic Aquarium class, program or teacher workshop either at your school or at the Aquarium to learn more about all kinds of ocean
animals. We even have distance learning programs where from your classroom you can talk to an educator and see our penguins in their exhibit. Visit
http://mysticaquarium.org for more information.
• Participate in a Mystic Aquarium penguin encounter program to have a hands-on experience with a penguin and
learn directly from a penguin trainer.

Did You Know

• The emperor penguin is the largest of all living penguins,
standing 4 feet tall and weighing 90 pounds. The smallest
is the little blue penguin, standing just 10 inches tall and
weighing about 2.5 pounds.

• There are no external characteristics to distinguish male and

female penguins.
Corner Trainer’s

Q: Can you describe the typical day of a penguin trainer?

Questions and Answers
with a Mystic Aquarium
Penguin Trainer

• The pattern of black spots on a penguin’s chest is as unique
as a human finger print. Scientists are using this information
and photographs to identify individual penguins.
A: It takes many people to keep the penguins in the style they have grown accustomed to living in. An assistant trainer will arrive
to work between 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. and start their day cleaning the exhibit; they vacuum the pool, clean the beach and the nesting
rooms and prepare the food for the day. The enrichment team will visit the exhibit to entertain the birds with sound makers, toys,
visually aesthetic items, and finger painting from the front or on the glass windows below. Throughout the day, trainers will monitor
the exhibit and the birds through two scheduled feedings, regular exhibit maintenance, training sessions and contact programs. It is
important to check on the birds to monitor their health and behavior.

• Every feather of a penguin is Q: Can you train a penguin?

controlled by a small muscle. A: Yes, we train our birds for veterinary behaviors, like hopping onto a platform scale to be weighed, opening their mouth for feed-
This allows the penguin to ing, standing still for an auscultation (listening to a heartbeat with a stethoscope), making them comfortable around people and
keep feathers close to their noises, and walking into a carrier when they need to be moved.
body to conserve heat when
they are in cold water or lift Q: How do penguins communicate with each other?
their feathers to release heat A: Penguins can identify other individuals through sight and sound. Each bird has their own unique vocalization. A lot can be told
when they are warm. by an animal’s body language. When a penguin is being aggressive, it will puff out its chest; hold its wings back, its beak forward,
and move its head side to side. When one is greeting a mate, its pupils dilate and it has a bit of a swagger when it walks.