How do skinny penguins survive in the freezing Antarctic?

The ancestors of penguins are from the end of the third Eocene to the beginning of the Eocene, and 30 million-year-old penguin fossils have been discovered in Japan from now. Another early fossil of a penguin was excavated by scientists in the southern stretch of Peru's southern coastline, where the penguins first lived in Cenozoic temples 42 million years ago. Ancient penguins on the southern coast of Peru were about 1 to 1 meter tall.

Penguin droppings excavated by Chinese scientists on an ancient beach on the Upper Peninsula of Antarctica.

So far, this is the fastest time humans have discovered penguins surviving in Antarctica. Penguins are strong swimmers in the Antarctic Ocean and can swim in the sea for nearly 20 minutes. Emperor penguins can dive to depths of 150-500 meters.

Penguins swim underwater at a speed of about 6 to 9 kilometers per hour, which is the fastest 30 kilometers. Penguins usually feed below 50 metres above sea level and feed on Antarctic krill. Emperor penguins are the largest of the Antarctic penguins, with a height of between 90 120 (cm) and a weight of up to 50 kg.

Emperor penguins live for more than 10 years, and some can reach around 20 years.

Antarctic penguins always go out to sea to fish in winter. Spring is coming, and then take a long trip back to your home. During this time, they may need to walk hundreds of kilometers.

Antarctica is a place where there are no obvious references such as ice, snow, trees, buildings, etc., so why do you have the "superpower" to go home? The researchers placed the five penguins in five other snow-covered places more than 1,000 kilometers away, and a few months later, the five penguins magically returned home through unmarked ice fields. Many scientists are puzzled by penguins' ability to see, so it is expected that more people will conduct experimental studies on penguins.

In addition, several penguins are placed in an ice cave hundreds of kilometers away, covered with lids, opened and observed the behavior of penguins in the distance. As a result, the penguins came out and spun around in place, and then moved their heads in unison - this direction is their hometown!

Native Antarctic penguins are also not invincible in the snow and ice. As global warming intensifies, the Antarctic ice shelves melt and penguin habitat is reduced, making it difficult for penguins to forage for food. The tragedy of 150,000 penguins in Antarctica dying due to food shortages due to the collapse of ice shelves.

Someone**, if the global temperature rises by 2 degrees Celsius, the main habitat area of penguins will be reduced by half, or even about two-thirds. This humble species is in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth. Penguins have adapted to the harsh weather of Antarctica, but not to the drastic changes in climate change.

In the wave of global warming, there will be more and more crises for penguins. All animals have the same rich emotions as humans, and the heartache of a penguin mother who has lost her son reminds everyone of their obligation to protect the planet.

The fat content in the penguins is very high, which is enough to help them withstand the cold.

Skinny penguins are protected by other sturdy penguins and will keep them warm in the middle.

Although the penguin may appear to be skinny, it has a vigorous coat and is able to maintain its temperature in very cold places.

Because the penguin's body is resistant to severe cold and has adapted to the cold environment, it can survive directly in Antarctica.

The first layer is the feathers that sparkle in the sun, this layer of feathers is relatively dense (more than 11 feathers per square centimeter), in addition to keeping warm, it is also waterproof, which is why penguins can roam freely in the icy water. The second layer is fluff. In addition to maintaining body heat, this layer of fluff forms a vacuum-like zone with penguin feathers, which reduces heat loss.

The third layer is very simple, although it is not very thick, but it also has a certain warmth function (after all, it is a "leather coat") The fourth layer is very critical, it is fat. The thickness of the penguin's fat is about 3 cm, which is not very thick from the data, but it is quite good for animals weighing less than 40 kg.

Antarctica is the coldest place in the world and the only place currently without permanent residents, with the lowest temperature ever recorded. Scientists pointed out that penguins can be said to be the world's most fearless birds in the world, its whole body is covered with dense and thick feathers, and the subcutaneous fat is up to 2 cm to 3 cm thick, this special "insulation equipment" ensures that it can live freely in the ice and snow.

Living in the icy Antarctic, penguins are not afraid of the cold, mainly because they have a special body structure and a complex temperature control system. Penguin's feathers are thick, dense, and overlapping scales, like tiles on a roof. Under this layer of "tiles", there is also a layer of dense fluff, like a down coat to keep it warm.

Penguins are not afraid of cold mainly because there is a layer of air between their feathers, which can effectively conserve heat and isolate cold air from outside the body. There are 17 species of penguins in the world, most of which are in the Southern Hemisphere. The penguin has short wings and cannot fly, but in the water its wings can push it like an oar and swim quickly.

Its feet are underneath its body and have webbing between its toes. The feathers are short and dense, which reduces friction in the water. These are all to make it swim faster.

Antarctica is a continent, with a total area of 14 million square kilometers, the continent and the ocean are heated very differently in winter, the land can radiate more heat into space, plus the vast majority of the land of the Antarctic continent is in the Antarctic Circle, and the average altitude of the Antarctic continent is 2350 meters, so the temperature in the Antarctic is much lower than the Arctic, the Arctic is the ice covering the ocean, and the flow of seawater can bring more heat. But the low temperature in Antarctica is actually divided into regions, the location in the center of the land due to the influence of the ice of the Antarctic Mountains, etc., will block the warmer air flow from the ocean, so the central area is colder, the Russian weather station has measured the temperature of about -89 in the Antarctic ** region, and according to the analysis of meteorological satellites, the minimum temperature in Antarctica can reach -100, but it is only some places in the ** region, not the entire Antarctic continent.

From the perspective of geometry and biology, the specific surface area of a spherical object is the smallest, and the smallest specific surface area will mean that it has the smallest contact area with the outside world, and it has the smallest heat dissipation area, and it has the smallest heat dissipation speed.

In terms of body form, the penguin's body has evolved to be as close to a sphere as possible, with a short and thick body, a short and thick neck, and short and thick legs and feet that can be retracted under the belly to reduce the area of contact with the outside world, which can minimize the loss of heat.

Penguins near Antarctica are covered with dense and thick feathers, and the tips of the feathers are curved, like the scales of a fish, which cannot penetrate even water, and can also resist the blowing of strong winds. There is also dense fluff underneath the layers of feathers, like the best quality woolen sweaters. With such good feathers, the penguin is like wearing a thick down coat, and it is waterproof and insulated, and it is not afraid of the cold.

At the same time, penguins have a thick body of fat, which can also play a role in heat preservation. In Antarctica, especially in bad weather, penguins live in colonies, and the colony is constantly moving, inside and outside are constantly exchanged, so that they can warm each other and minimize heat loss.

Penguins' survival is to solve the problem of food after fighting the cold.

The penguin's tiny wings allow it to swim like a flight in the water, and it is fast enough to prey on krill and other small fish in the water.

The more emperor penguins live for 10 years, the more lifespans other penguins are about the same.

Because their hairs are very thick, those hairs can be well warmed, so they are not afraid of cold, and their ability to withstand the cold is relatively good.

It is because the penguin's body structure is very unique, the temperature control ability inside the body is particularly complex, and the feathers are particularly thick and dense, so the warmth effect is particularly good.

Because the penguin's fur is very thick, it forms a special structure that can resist the cold very well.

Penguins rely on the fat layer in their body to maintain their body temperature, and penguins have a thick layer of fat on their body that can be used to keep them warm.

Most of the penguin's body is covered with waterproof feathers, and there is also a layer of insulation made of fat underneath. Penguins' feathers and fat are very insulating, allowing penguins to withstand the Antarctic cold, but they can also cause penguins to become hyperthermic on a clear day. At this time, the penguin will dissipate heat through its beak and feet, which are devoid of feathers and fat, to keep its body temperature stable.

Penguins have a lot of fat inside their bodies, which allows them to maintain their body temperature even in low temperatures, so penguins can live in very cold Antarctic regions.

Penguins like to huddle together to keep warm, so will the outermost penguin freeze to death? The answer was unexpected.

We usually think that penguins can survive in the cold Antarctica by relying on that powerful equipment, in fact, in addition to the fur there is also a very tight heating formation, the British broadcasting company has a very detailed description of its program Frozen Planet. The regular cycle of this formation is the process of the penguin standing in the outermost layer slowly circulating to the inner layer to keep warm, and then moving to the outer layer to resist the cold wind.

If the outermost penguin freezes to death because of the cold, and then the penguins fall one after another, it is estimated that the penguins will be extinct long ago, which is not the case. When it is cold in Antarctica, penguins will gather together to keep warm, and as the temperature drops, there are more and more penguins, and they are getting closer and tighter, and the reason why the outermost penguins will not freeze to death is due to several reasons:

1) Penguins** have thick fat, can not eat for more than 100 days, but also resist the cold wind of Antarctica, the outermost penguin can also hold on to a period of time in the extreme cold, after it can't hold on, it will drill hard and change other penguins to the outside;

2) The penguin colony will maintain a certain small step, moving slowly as a whole, moving at a speed of about ten centimeters a minute, which can alternately change the position of the outer penguins, so that each penguin has the opportunity to come to the middle to escape the cold;

3) Due to the accumulation of heat, the middle can reach more than 30, which will make the penguins in the middle feel too hot, so the penguins in the middle often stick out their heads to dissipate heat, or move to cool themselves, so that the penguin colony gradually disperses, and the outer penguins have the opportunity to squeeze in;

It is in this cooperative way that the penguin colony is able to survive in the extremely cold Antarctic. The baby penguins snuggle up to the underbelly of their parents, and the male penguins have a pouch, but when the penguin colony is moving, it is very dangerous for the little penguins, and if the mother penguin falls or gets separated from the little penguin, the baby penguin can be crushed to death.

Adult penguins generally do not freeze to death, but juvenile penguins, senile penguins, and sick penguins can freeze to death, especially in cold weather such as snowstorms. Adult penguins do not freeze to death because they have a well-developed mechanism for keeping them warm, with both feathers and a layer of fat helping them to keep them warm. However, baby penguins are not yet able to withstand the cold, and old and sick penguins may not be able to withstand the cold because their own cold protection mechanisms are impaired.

The outermost ones will not freeze to death, the penguin colony will keep moving, and the wild geese inside will take the initiative to replace the outer penguins because it is too hot. <>

Not all penguins will flock together, the most famous penguin is the emperor penguin, because many penguins will migrate in the winter of Antarctica, and the emperor penguin has no migration habits, and can only use the helpless method of flocking to face the most tyrannical night in Antarctica, the emperor penguin is the largest among the penguins, they have dense feathers and thick body fat to withstand the cold. But winter is also the season of emperor penguin breeding, the male penguins in the emperor penguins are generally responsible for hatching, and the newly hatched little penguins cannot withstand the cold, so the big penguins usually gather in the middle of the small penguins, so the penguin group is actually a survival evolution.

Many people think that after the penguins get together, there will be some scheming penguins who will occupy the middle position, but in fact this is not the case, the new penguins will stand tall friends on the outside, and whether it is upwind or downwind, it is the same, there will be no penguins to push other penguins, because doing so will mess up their own feathers.

The penguins don't move when they get together, the penguin colony moves every once in a while, so even the outermost penguin will move inside through this movement, and the whole penguin pack will move every half a minute or a minute, and the direction of movement is completely random. The initiator of this movement is usually the penguin at the bottom of the pack, because it is so hot inside that it needs to come out from time to time to cool off.

Many scientists have observed that this kind of gathering to keep warm does not last long, and some penguins that are crowded inside are even hot and lie on the ground to eat snow to cool down. In other words, the inside of the huddle heating is not superior to the outside, and the huddle heating has been changing permutations and combinations in the form of Brownian motion, and the outermost penguins will not freeze to death.