April 25 – World Penguin Day

Another animal that I LOVE! I always want to jump over the little barrier at the zoo to swim with the penguins...they have places where you can swim with the dolphins, at Sea World they swim with the whales…why not Penguins?

“World Penguin Day coincides with the annual northward migration of penguins. This happens each year on or around April 25th. Penguins do not fly. Rather, they walk, or waddle their way to and from.” (Holiday Insights)

I think that those Penguin documentaries are fascinating and highly recommend everyone to watch March of the Penguins. = Fabulous!

Here are some facts about Penguins…you can learn more at http://www.penguinfacts.net/

• Penguins are birds.
• The name is derived from Welsh terms ‘pen’, meaning head and ‘gwyn’, meaning white.
• Penguin is an unofficial symbol of the United States Libertarian Party.
• They mate for life.
• They are ancient species that appeared 40 million years ago in the Eocene.
• Penguins don't fly, they swim.
• Penguins lay eggs.
• Penguin chicks have fluffy feathers.
• A group of penguins is called colonies or rookery.
• Penguins use their wings for swimming.
• Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Some penguins live in Antarctica, Coast of South America, South Africa, Galapagos, Southern Australia and New Zealand.
• Most penguins can swim about 15 miles per hour.
• Penguins have insulating layers of air, skin, and blubber.
• Penguins open their feather to feel the cold.
• There are at least 18 different species of penguins.
• There may be as many as 100 million penguins in the world.