Penguins are known for living in cold climates, for having a black and white body and for their clumsy walk. Perhaps you have already heard about the march of the emperor penguin or have seen pictures of penguins or television programs. After reviewing the images and observing its body, it is common to have doubts as to whether the penguin is considered a bird or not.
So, Is the penguin a bird? In its morphology, it seems to have two wings but it is not able to fly and spends a lot of time part of his time in the water. What kind of animal is it? Find out in this article on our site!
Are penguins mammals?
Before telling you if the penguin is a bird or a fish, it is necessary to clarify its taxonomic classification. Penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae, the only family that is part of the order Sphenisciformes. In turn, this order is included in the class of birds. Mammals, on the other hand, make up the class Mammalia. Therefore, penguins are not mammals
Despite this distinction, mammals and penguins have something in common: both groups are part of the Chordata phylum and the vertebrate subphylum.
Is the penguin a bird or a fish?
Clarifies the taxonomic classification, is the penguin a bird or a fish? In short, the penguin is a bird Now, if it is a bird, why doesn't it fly? Why do you spend so much time in the water? We will answer that question below.
Current penguins are flightless birds, however, everything seems to indicate that their ancestors were capable of taking flight like any another bird Due to this origin, between the parts the penguin finds two straight black wings, but which they use to propel themselves in the water. In addition, like other birds, the body is covered with feathers, although they are so small that it is difficult to perceive them in photographs.
In the evolutionary path, the different types of penguins obtained little benefit from flying, since, due to the size and weight of their bodies, this activity implied an unnecessary expenditure of energy. In the cold ecosystems where penguins live, this waste can cost them their lives, so the body adapted to use the wings in another way
In this process, the wing bones reduced in size but gained strength and resistance, two skills necessary to withstand the 60 kilometers that a penguin is capable of swimming. Facing the threat of terrestrial predators, these birds found it more beneficial, at an evolutionary level, to lose the ability to fly but gain the agility necessary to access marine food sources, which are more abundant than those found on land.
If you want to know more about how penguins fly, we recommend reading this article.
Penguin Characteristics
To understand how these flightless birds modified their bodies to adapt to the water, it is necessary to know a little more about the parts of the penguin. These are some of the characteristics of penguins that have been adapting throughout their evolution:
- Reduction in the size and morphology of the feathers, becoming smaller and more rigid structures, similar to scales.
- Flattening of the bones that make up the wing.
- Reduction of wing muscles and tendons.
- Loss of pneumaticity (internal bone cavities). This caused the air sacs, located in the lungs and necessary for breathing during flight, to atrophy.
- Bone marrow shrinkage.
- Increased bone density.
- Long and wide scapula, unlike that of flying birds, long and thin.
- Broad sternum that covers the abdominal area, necessary to protect the intestines from the blows caused by jumping out of the water.
- The humerus bone, where the bony structures of the wings connect, is short and flat, contrary to the straight and wide shape of flying birds.
These are some of the changes that have allowed penguins to adapt to life in the water and become the excellent swimmers they are today.
Types of penguins
Penguins are birds and there are 18 different species, distributed in the arctic areas of the world. These are some of the types of penguins that exist:
Emperor penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri is the largest penguin in existence today. For a few years, the species has been popularized by various documentaries focused on its life cycle.
One of the most differentiated characteristics with the rest of the species is that it is the male who is in charge of incubating the egg between his legs after making an annual trip to reproduce. The species is also distinguished by a yellow area that fades from the neck to the chest.
Galapagos Penguin
The Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is one of the endemic species of these islands, where Charles Darwin carried out the necessary studies to establish his theory of evolution.
This variety weighs about 2.5 kilos and measures up to 50 centimeters. Being smaller than other penguin species, it is preyed upon by snakes, sharks and sea lions.
Humboldt penguin
The Spheniscus humboldti runs along the Humboldt Current, from which it gets its name. When found on land, it lives in Peru and Chile. It reaches up to 73 centimeters in height and can weigh 5 kilos.
This type of penguin lays its eggs in nests that it digs in the ground or shelters in holes between rocks. is currently in danger of extinction.
If you want to know all the types of penguins, we invite you to visit this article.
Penguin trivia
Now you know that penguins are birds, but much remains to be discovered about this species. These are some of the curiosities of the penguins:
- Some of the species are in danger of extinction for various reasons: the melting of the arctic areas due to global warming, the oil spills and habitat destruction due to economic activity.
- They feed on fish, krill, squid and octopus, as well as plankton.
- Parents recognize their children through vocalizations.
- They weigh between 4 and 16 kilos.
- The clutch consists of 1 or 2 eggs.
- They use nurseries to protect the young; also, males and females take turns doing this.
- They are monogamous, so they always reproduce with the same partner.
Where penguins live?
They are distributed in the southern hemisphere, from America to Australia, in addition to the species that lives in the Galapagos Islands. During the winter, several species migrate to Ecuador in search of warmer waters and more food.
The ideal areas for penguins are those near the sea, where they get their prey.
