echo by Reshna
World Penguin Day is an underrated day of which not many people are aware of. This day is celebrated every year on the 25th of April by fellow penguin lovers all around the world to acknowledge their wonderful existence on this planet. In some zoos all over the world in honour of World Penguin Day, the penguins are allowed to seek human company-those visiting the zoos- for interaction with humans.
For those who have never seen the Penguins of Madagascar and a childhood favourite Pingu (which I totally recommend), penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds that live in the southern hemisphere especially Antarctica. These birds look very dapper with their ‘tuxedo’ coloured look and of course they just melt everyone’s hearts when they waddle around in the snow. In the penguin kingdom penguins only have one mate their entire life. Like humans they propose with a ‘stone’- a pebble.
Now let’s acquaint ourselves to a couple of common types of penguins because they aren’t all the same and possess different characteristics. To begin with, the largest of them all is the Emperor Penguin. It weighs up to 35 kg or more with a height of 1.1m. They only have a life span of 20 years and if you are wondering how they look, they appear like every stereotypical penguin out there. These penguins only mate during winter and although every day is considered winter in Antarctica, these penguins know when to mate precisely. After several weeks of courting, the mother will lay her single egg and go out to sea to fish for two months in which the father penguin will look after the egg and keep it warm – hats off to thr male species!
Moving on to the next penguin, the smallest of them all is the Little Blue Penguin. They look as cute as they sound weighing about 1 kg and stand at only 40 cm tall. These penguins love interacting with one another. These penguins only have a lifespan of 6 and a half years but human interaction however can change that – they thrive in human company. They start mating at the age of only 3 years old and they can only mate once or twice before their own live ends. Just like all penguins they only produce one egg at a time bringing up concerns on the survival of their species.
Penguins in general are considered fierce but only if threatened. Other than that they are silky feathered, hardworking creatures that enjoy sunbathing and playing in the sea. Deep down everyone’s spirit animal is a penguin because like the penguins, humans are protective of one another as well as loving and constantly working together to survive during very cold winters. So let’s all save the date on our calendars and celebrate this wonderful day and give the penguins of the world all the love they deserve. If you’re all as passionate as I am about these creatures go ahead and learn up more on them and donate a little something to approved organisations that are preserving these amiable creatures!
