How the king penguin lives: 10 interesting features from the life of a large flightless bird (11 photos)

Our hero is a little smaller than the imperial one, and the yellow spots on his head are a little brighter. Like other species, it has water-repellent plumage and stores decent fat reserves. But the king penguin's lifestyle has many unique features.





10. Friendly shoulder

King penguins live where the thermometer feels uncomfortable: on Macquarie, Heard and other oceanic islands. Nature, of course, took care of natural warming, but not enough. The penguins solved the heating problem on their own. To keep warm, they huddle together, pressing against each other as tightly as possible. The temperature inside the “crowd” literally jumps - when it’s -50°C outside, the temperature inside the group reaches +25-30°C!



9. Salty taste of life

August ladies need a lot of liquid. And penguins usually get it when the snow melts. Frankly speaking, this is not a common phenomenon for Antarctica. It would be possible to break the ice with its beak, but it is too small and not at all adapted for this. Therefore, special glands have appeared in the body of king penguins that help remove salt. Consequently, “birds in tailcoats” know how to drink salt water. And this does not negatively affect their health.





8. There is strength in unity

Kingbirds do not have a "president", "prime minister" or "parliament". Primitive communal system! If someone is colder than others, they will be allowed into the center. No one drives the chicks out of the group after they grow up. And during the mating season, penguins turn into a kind of soldiers. They walk in formation, aligned either by height or by respect. It is interesting that each group - molting, young, mature - walks separately from the others.



7. Everyone will jump, and I...

King penguins are afraid of water. Yes, their lives are inextricably linked with scuba diving, but sometimes birds take too long to prepare to enter Antarctic waters. They can circle on the shore for hours. The intentions are obvious, everyone wants to get into the water, everyone wants to eat. It just can't be resolved. What causes this phenomenon is not clear. But as soon as the first penguin dives into the water, the rest will follow.



6. Pinya, walk straight!

There are certain species of penguins that prefer to settle on landscape irregularities. Our hero is not like that. The most mobile “spare part” of his body is his head. The bird walks with a proud posture, as if wearing a medical corset. But few people know that becoming an aristocrat is the result of an almost perfectly straight spine. There are few bends on it, so king penguins live in large, but as flat as possible territories.



5. Centripetal acceleration

King penguins have many natural enemies. To camouflage, the penguin uses its natural color as a camouflage coat. The white belly shines and merges with the surface of the water - protection from attacks from below. “Frack” hides the bird’s carcass from the eyes of a ground predator. When viewed from above, it is disguised as “dark water”. To escape, the penguin develops incredibly high speed. And he rolls on the ground on his belly, like on a sled.



4. How well-fed!

Along with spring warming comes mating season. All king penguins urgently shed their warm feathers and move closer to the accumulations of pebbles. The males line up and do a lap of honor. They actively turn their heads, which should hint to the females that they are ready to create a pair. They can raise their fin wings and scream loudly. But the female still chooses the most well-fed penguin - he also has to warm the offspring.



3. Changing of the page guard

The pair spins around its axis, touching each other with its wings and beak. So the “wedding” is planned. After the courtship period, the female will produce one single egg and immediately give it to the male. He will hide the “treasure” in a fat fold and will patiently wait for the female. She needs to go to sea for 3 weeks! The goal is simple - gain fat. Soon she will return, and the male, by analogy, will go to fat “earnings”.



2. Strategic resource

During nesting, females make deep holes right in the snow. Sometimes they resemble communicating vessels - the hole of one “lady” has a path to the nest of another. Pebbles carry strategic significance - the more there are around the nest, the less likely it is that the egg will come into contact with a cold surface. And the females begin to steal pebbles from each other. By the way, some go further. If something happens to their own testicle, they can borrow a neighbor’s one.



1. Give out a suit

The appearance of the chicks leaves much to be desired. Instead of black and white plumage there is brown fluff. Yes, it is arranged in three layers, but it is still fluff. During severe frosts, the flock gathers together to stay warm. The chicks are placed in the center. Their “undercoat” can provide good warmth, but it does not have water-repellent properties. That's why the kids don't go into the water at all. The debut occurs when they reach two years of age, when the chicks dress in a tailcoat!