International Holidays - Penguin Awareness Day

January 20 is the time to remember about an unusual and unique bird, because on this day there is an international holiday - Penguin Awareness Day or, as it is also called, Penguin Awareness Day. Everyone knows that penguins cannot fly, are good swimmers and live in large colonies. But this is the only thing that most people know, and January 20 is just the day to devote to studying them. Archaeological excavations indicate that the ancestors of modern penguins lived during the time of dinosaurs and were larger in size than the largest representatives existing today. The emperor penguin weighs half as much and is 50 cm shorter compared to Kumimanu biceae, which lived during the prehistoric period. According to archaeologists, despite its large size, it was no different from a modern penguin. Not all representatives of the penguin family were able to survive to this day; often it was humans who had a hand in this. As a result of human actions and climate change, some populations are on the verge of extinction and their numbers have declined in recent decades: Galapagos – 50%; magnificent (hoiho) – 85%; great crested – 70%; spectacled – 70%. Penguins are the only birds that move while standing, which is why they seem clumsy and slow. But water is their element; some of the penguins are capable of diving to depths of up to 200 meters, and when swimming, they reach speeds of up to 10 km/h. They feed on fish and crustaceans, swallowing them in the water. During molting, which lasts up to several months, birds have to sit on a very strict diet, since they do not swim at this time and are deprived of the opportunity to get food. At this time, the body uses up internal fat reserves. Penguins are amazing creatures that live far from us, but they are also a part of our planet that needs to be preserved for future descendants.