Penguins, those curious birds that stand out for being so different from the rest of the avian species, are unique and very interesting animals as far as mating is concerned, due to their anatomy, their customs or the fact that they to be a bird unable to fly. In this article, however, we will focus on the birth of these curious animals and we will detail the entire process, from laying to hatching.
Do you want to know how penguins are born? There are many myths, and also truths, that are quite popular about the birth of penguins. For example, are they mammals or do they lay eggs? How many penguins can a female penguin have at a time? All this and more details about penguins is what we tell you on our site.
Playing the penguins
Penguins are one of the animal species best known for their mating habits. This is because are monogamous, since once they choose a breeding pair it will be the same one throughout their lives. Also very interesting is the courtship ritual carried out by the male penguins to get the female to choose them. In this courtship, the male performs actions that show his ability to build a nest, brings food to the female, showing that he will be able to support the young, or grooms himself to show her attractiveness to her potential mate..
Once the female has decided on a male, the pair of penguins will be able to meet among very large groups, coming together when the breeding season begins, which usually occurs annually [1] At this time, there is a copulation in which the male fertilizes the female
After fertilization, an egg develops inside the female, which is spawned in a nest that the couple has prepared for it. At this time the incubation period begins, often carried out by the male.
For more details on courtship or copulation, don't miss this other article: "How do penguins reproduce?"
How are penguins born?
When the sperm and the egg unite, a zygote is formed that develops into an embryo, which is inside a protective shell, the egg. These eggs remain inside the mother for a few days, this phase lasting a very short time, because where they will really mature is outside the womb. Therefore, penguins are oviparous animals, since they born from eggs incubated in the middle In this way, the gestation of the penguins begins indoors but ends outdoors.
Penguin eggs are deposited in a nest to be incubated by the parents. The incubation period of penguins can last between 34 and 65 days During this period, the chicks develop until they are ready to hatch.
When it's time to hatch, the baby penguins have to break the egg with their beak and go outside. They have to do this alone, although it can be hard and laborious. The process of birth of penguins usually lastshours, because at that time they are still finishing absorbing the nutrients contained in the yolk sac attached to the egg shell. Once they hatch, they are very vulnerable because, in addition to being very small, they lack plumage and body fat, making them very sensitive to cold. For this reason, until they develop their feathers and gain weight, they have to be cared for by their parents, who, apart from providing them with food, make sure they are warm and safe from predators.
Penguin eggs: what they are like and who incubates them
Lays are not usually made up of more than two eggs, moreover, if there is more than one, normally a single egg hatchesIf both eggs come to term, usually one of the hatchlings does not survive long after hatching.
A penguin's egg is large compared to that of other birds, which is logical, since a penguin is much larger than almost any other bird. They are white, although their hue may vary slightly depending on the penguin species, as well as their size.
Who incubates the penguin eggs?
Both mother and father can take care of penguin eggs, in fact, in most species both parents take turns carry out incubation. During this phase, the parents do not incubate them by sitting on them, but rather surround the eggs with their body, covering them with their plumage to keep them at a constant temperature of 36ºC and rocking them to ensure a good development of future hatchlings. Since the parents usually take turns, when one of the penguins is hatching the egg, the other is ready to feed. Precisely because of this mechanism, in which the penguin does not sit on the egg and only one of them takes care of it, it will be difficult for more than one egg to hatch if it exists.
Incubation time ranges between 34 and 65 days, normally being less incubation time in smaller species due to the faster maturation of embryos in them.
What are the parts of a penguin egg?
Penguin eggs have the same parts as other bird eggs, which are:
- Shell: This is the protective barrier that separates the embryo from the outside world, protecting it from shocks and also from contact with toxic substances or harmful to the fetus. Combined with the rigid shell is the cuticle, being the composition of this mainly protein, whose most important function is to allow the respiration of the embryo, regulating the entry and exit of oxygen and carbon dioxide. In addition, the interior is covered by a membrane, called testaceous membrane, which creates an air chamber, allowing greater insulation.
- White or albumen: this is the predominant substance, since 60% of the weight of an egg is white. It is an albuminoid sac, which acts as a food source for the fetus. It has 4 layers: the thin outer dense, the thick fluid, the intermediate dense and the thin lower fluid.
- Yema: this is the ovule, it is from which, if it has been fertilized, the embryo that will be the chick will develop. Its structure is in the form of various layers of yolk, both white and yellow, reaching a nucleus called germinal disc, covered by a membrane called vitelline membrane and labra. It is very rich in nutrients, possessing large amounts of lipids, minerals and vitamins, which are what sustain the developing chick.
- Chalazas: these are two structures that allow the yolk to stick to the white, remaining in the center of the egg, so that thus the distribution of nutrients is uniform.
What is the baby penguin's name?
Baby penguins are called chicks, just like many other baby birds. They are also often referred to simply as "penguin pup" or popularly "penguin", there being no specific technical term for the species.
Emperor Penguin Incubation
We said in the previous section that in most penguin species the parents take turns incubating the eggs. Well, this does not happen with the emperor penguin, since only the male is in charge of incubating the eggs In addition, another factor that varies from this species to the rest is that Aptenodytes forsteri keep their eggs at a temperature of approximately 31 ºC, lower than that mentioned above.
Birth of a Penguin: Video
In the following video, shared on the Penguins International channel, we can observe how penguins are born in a much more visual way.
How do penguins care for their young?
Penguins are excellent parents, lovingly caring for their young. Part of this care is done in a community way, in what are known as penguin nurseries These nurseries base their effectiveness on the collaboration of the entire group of penguins, who watch to the chicks, they keep them warm and take turns searching for food, never leaving the young unattended.
Another of the main care of baby penguins is their food. To do this, parents catch the food, partially digest it, and then regurgitate it so that the chicks can consume it. The feeding of the young is the work of both the father and the mother, since care is distributed in a fairly equitable way. Thus, whoever is not in charge of keeping the chick warm has to be in charge of looking for food and vice versa.
When the little penguins are old enough to start moving without risk of freezing, as they will have already developed their plumage and gained weight, they will begin to learn to fend for themselves. That's when they begin to accompany their parents on forays to look for food, thus learning to fish and being able to feed themselves. The time at which they become independent varies between species and also varies according to how rich the environment is, since in places with easier access to food, penguins become independent sooner than in those where it is scarce.
What do baby penguins eat?
A penguin is a completely carnivorous animal, since its diet is based exclusively on food of animal origin. In their diet we mainly find krill, which is a small crustacean found in Antarctic waters[2], and a wide variety of fish , as well as some cephalopods, molluscs and polychaetes.
This food is usually fished or caught by adult penguins at a depth between 20 and 200 meters below sea level, something that varies significantly depending on the habitat and the geographical region in which it is found. lives each population of penguins. Once caught, as we have indicated in the previous section, the father or mother who has carried out this task digests it slightly and regurgitates it to introduce it into the chick's mouth.
Other curiosities about penguins
Now that you know how penguins are born and how they care for their young, keep reading to expand your information on penguins and discover some more curiosities:
How do penguins get around?
This is a species known for being a bird that is unable to fly or at least not how the term fly is usually understood. Some species of penguins "fly" by long jumps, but this is not because, like other birds, they flap their wings and hover for that, but simply to the force with which they are able to propel themselves.
They are Amazing swimmers, as they normally need to move in the water to search for food. In the water they can be really fast, a fact that contrasts with the slowness with which they move when they walk. Sometimes they also slide across the ice, putting their bellies against the ice sheets, which are slippery. In addition, when they swim, they usually do so with the current, as this favors them moving quickly enough to catch their prey.
How do penguins sleep?
A penguin doesn't sleep like humans do. Normally, penguins don't sleep for long periods of time like we do, but spread their sleeping time into short naps throughout the day and night. These naps are very different between the different species of penguins, varying the frequency and duration of them between them. However, they all sleep in the same way: when they need to sleep, the penguins sleep in a group, as this makes them more protected from possible threats. In addition, it is vital that they do it accompanied so as not to freeze to death, because when they are with more penguins they warm each other.
They sleep standing up, because if they lay down their body would be much more exposed to the cold transmitted by the ground, although if they live in places warmer ones, like the penguins that inhabit southern Africa, can sleep lying down. Some are also able to sleep while they are in the water, staying afloat and taking very short naps, otherwise, when they migrate and do not set foot on dry land for a long time, they would not be able to rest.
