Why can't penguins fly?
(You think it's because they're fat, right?)
- Unlike most birds, which have hollow bones, penguins' bones are solid so they can dive. See, they need to be heavier than normal birds so that they can reach depths of 300m. Crazy go nuts.
- Although, the ancestors of penguins -could- fly.
Are penguins birds?
(...what kind of question is that?)
- As a matter of fact, penguins are birds.
- Like most birds, penguins have feathers, beaks, wings, scaly feet as well as several other characteristics that birds have.
Where did the name 'penguin' come from?
(Guess where the name came from. Guess!)
- Great Auks were called penguins, but they had no relation to penguins at all. Although they did look a like, so they were naturally called penguins.
- The word "pengwen", meaning white headed, is derived from the welsh language.
Why do penguins waddle?
(Waddle.)
- Basically, it's the best way for a short-legged animal to walk.
How tall is the tallest penguin?
(Really tall...)
- The largest living penguins are the Emperor penguins, which can stand about 1.2 meters tall.
- Fossil records state that penguin bones have been found that suggest that there were once penguins that were as tall at 2 meters.
Can I have a penguin as a pet?
(I want a pet penguin.)
- First of all, you probably shouldn't. Penguins are protected animals; you can only legally get a penguin from a zoo that had bred it.
- Do you really want to keep a big supply of fresh frozen fish at your house just to feed them? Not to mention the appropriate vitamin supplements, and a vet who's familiar with penguins and everything about them.
- You can't put a penguin in a kennel. So, no vacations for you anymore, because you need to be home to feed them everyday
- You would need to build a suitable enclosure to keep the penguin in, with specific temperature and vegetation, depending on the type of penguin. Plus they need a huge, deep and clean pool of salt water.
- Penguins tend to live in large colonies. If you've got one penguin, you're going to have to have at least another 20. So, you'd really need a very healthy income. It costs about $700US just to keep a penguin with fish for the year.
...I want a pet penguin. Yay! There are several more questions I could have put on here, but they would have taken a large amount of space. Too much reading!
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