Here is a fun video I made compiling all the penguins I’ve visited in my travels. They are the most unique animals in the world! I have been able to see 7 of the 18 species that are known to exist.
I have visited them in Southern Argentina, Southern Chile, the Falkland Islands, Antarctica, South Africa, and Tasmania on my various travels. Some were just a few feet away without any fears of humans, and others were protected by naturalists inside their habitats on the side of a cliff. They seem to have their own personalities and mission to feed their babies; nothing is going to stop that.
The misnomer is that penguins live on the ice, but not true at all. Only one species does, and some live as far north as the Galapagos Islands in tropical weather. It was evident that the ones in Chile were not enjoying the hot sunny day as they were turning pink in their faces. The pink-face thing is real thermoregulation. Penguins don’t sweat, so many species (especially ones adapted for cold, like Magellanics in Chile) rely on bare or thinly-feathered patches around the eyes, bill, and face to dump excess heat — blood flow increases to those areas, which is what you were seeing as a pink flush. It’s basically the same principle as a dog panting, just via blood vessels near the skin instead of the tongue. On a hot sunny day it’s a sign they’re working hard to avoid overheating, since their insulation is built for icy water, not sun, indication of heat exposure.
Then, the distance they traveled in most places to the ocean for food was remarkably long. I think because they are safer further inland from their predators? Predator avoidance is part of it, but it’s usually a mix of a few things: colonies often nest in burrows or tussock grass that just isn’t available right at the shoreline, some sites are ancestral colonies that predate current erosion/shoreline changes, and inland burrows offer shade and stable temperatures for eggs and chicks. So it’s less “walking away from danger” moment-to-moment and more “the safest real estate happens to be back from the water.”
But I conclude with this little video I made with the species I have seen and their interesting habits!
If you enjoyed my Penguins blog, click here to see my many others from my travels around the world!
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