Ever wondered why penguins are black and white? It's called 'countershading', and it's a way to avoid being seen by predators. When penguins swim, their white bellies make them look like just another part of the reflective water from other animals below, and their black backs make them hard to see from the sky. Genius!
1) They're designed to blend in
2) You'll never see penguins and polar bears in the same room
Sometimes TV shows make them look like neighbours, but polar bears live mainly in the Arctic (way up north) and penguins mainly naturally live in the southern part of the world. Places like Antarctica (way down south) are perfect for penguins because they don't usually run into any predators on land, but penguins also live in hot places like Australia, Argentina, and South Africa!
3) Some are the height of the ruler on your desk
Little Blue Penguins, which are usually found off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, are the smallest species of penguin, and grow to around 33cm tall. That's just slightly more than the size of a standard desk ruler. Cute or what?
4) They're faster than a bear
Okay, they're not so fast when they run (or waddle), but penguins are brilliant swimmers and are amazingly fast in the water. The Gentoo penguin's average speed is 22 miles per hour, which is faster than both a brown bear and a polar bear. Wow!
Did you know any of these penguin facts? Have you learned about them in school? Comment below.
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My teacher and loads of classmates call me penguin because I walk like one and I act so much like them, they are so cute.
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