Suzanne Thibault, age 15, of Casselman, Ontario, Canada, for her question:
WHY ARE THERE NO PENGUINS IN THE ARCTIC AREA?
Although penguins spend much of their lives in water, they lay eggs and raise their young on land. While on land, they make their nests in large colonies called rookeries. A single rookery may contain as many as a million birds. Most build their nests on bare ground or in the grass, although some only scrape out a hollow spot in the dirt where they lay their eggs.
A penguin is a bird that stands upright on very short legs and walks with an amusing, clumsy waddle. The bird cannot fly but he is an excellent swimmer.
Strangely, the bird lives only in the southern half of the world.
Several kinds live on the ice of the Antarctic. None of them, however, lives in the arctic area.
Penguins are not found in the northern parts of the world because they will not cross into warm ocean water from the cold Antarctic currents they call home.
You'll find penguins in Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and almost on the equator in the Galapagos Islands. You'll also find them in lots of zoos although they are difficult to keep in captivity. They catch diseases easily and die.
Penguins lost the ability to fly millions of years ago. Now their wings are flippers which serve as paddles in the water. The flippers, and also the webbed feet, make the penguin a sensational diver as well as a great swimmer.
Short, dense feathers form a waterproof coat.
The female emperor penguin of the Antarctic lays a single egg on the bare ice and then returns to the water. The male takes over the job of keeping the egg warm until it hatches.
Poor dad. He has to roll the egg onto his feet and then cover it with the lower part of his belly which has several rolls of fat.
For two months during the worst part of winter, dad has to keep the egg warm. He waddles into a large group with other males, and together they huddle to keep warm. None of the males eats during this period.
When the baby hatches, the male feeds it a milklike substance produced in his crop or throat. He feeds the chick through his mouth.
Soon after the baby penguin is born, its mother returns to the colony to take care of it. The male then goes to sea to get food for himself and also for the chick.
After three weeks, the male returns to the colony with food. The chicks are then herded together into tight groups with the adults forming a circle around them to keep them warm. In six months, the young penguins are able to take care of themselves.