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Adelie Penguin Classification and Evolution

Courtesy of travelwild.com
articlemostwanted - The Adelie Penguin is the tiniest and most extensively dispersed types of Penguin in the Southern Sea and is among just two types of Penguin discovered on the Antarctic mainland (the other animal the much bigger Emperor Penguin). The Adelie Penguin was called in 1840 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville who named the Penguin for his better half, Adelie. Adelie Penguins have adapted well to life in the Antarctic as these migratory Birds winter season in the northern pack-ice prior to returning south to the Antarctic coastline for the warmer summer months.

Adelie Penguin Anatomy and Appearance

The Adelie Penguin is one of the most quickly recognizable Penguin types with a blue-black back and totally white chest and belly. The head and beak of the Adelie Penguin are both black, with an unique white ring around each eye. The strong, pink feet of the Adelie Penguin are tough and rough with nails that not only aid the Adelie Penguin in climbing the rocky cliffs to reach its nesting grounds, but likewise help to press them along when they are moving (rowing) along the ice. Adelie Penguins likewise utilize their webbed feet along with their small flippers to propel them along when swimming in the cold waters.

Adelie Penguin Distribution and Habitat

The Adelie Penguin is one of the southern-most Birds on the planet as it is found along the Antarctic coastline and on the islands near it. Throughout the cold weather, the Adelie Penguins move north where they live in large platforms of ice and have better access to food. Throughout the warmer summertime, the Adelie Penguins return south where they moving towards the coastal beaches in search of ice-free ground on the rocky slopes where they can develop their nests. Majority a million Adelie Penguins have formed one of the largest animal nests worldwide on Ross Island, an island formed by the activities of 4 monstrous volcanoes in the Ross Sea.

Adelie Penguin Behaviour and Lifestyle

Like all types of Penguin, the Adelie Penguin is an extremely friendly animal, gathering in huge groups known as colonies, which often number countless Penguin people. Although Adelie Penguins are not known to be terribly territorial, it is not uncommon for adults to become aggressive over nesting sites, and have actually even been known to take rocks from the nests of their neighbours. Adelie Penguins are likewise understood to hunt in groups as it is thought to reduce the risk of being eaten by starving predators. Adelie Penguins are continuously interacting with one another, with body language and specific eye motions believed to be the most typical kinds of interaction.

Adelie Penguin Reproduction and Life Cycles

Adelie Penguins go back to their reproducing premises during the Antarctic summer season of November and December. Their soft feet are well designed for strolling on land making the expedition to it's nesting ground a lot easier as the Penguin fasts throughout this time. Adelie Penguin pairs mate for life in large nests, with females laying 2 eggs a few days apart into a nest built from rocks. Both the male and female take it in turns to breed their eggs while the other goes off to feed, for as much as 10 days at a time. The Adelie Penguin chicks have an egg-tooth which is a bump on the top of their beaks, which helps them to break out of the egg. When hatched, the parents still take it in turns to take care of their young while the other goes off to collect food. After about a month, the chicks congregate in groups called crèches and have the ability to look after themselves at sea when they are between 2 and 3 months old.

Adelie Penguin Diet and Prey

Adelie Penguins are strong and capable swimmers, obtaining all their food from the sea. These Penguins mainly eat krill which are found throughout the Antarctic ocean, along with Molluscs, Squid and little Fish. The record of fossilised eggshell collected in the Adelie Penguin colonies over the last 38,000 years exposes a sudden change from a Fish-based diet plan to Krill that began 2 century ago. This is thought to result from the decline of the Antarctic Fur Seal in the late 1700s and Baleen Whales in the twentieth century. The reduction of competition from these predators has led to there being an abundance of Krill, which the Adelie Penguins are now able to make use of as a much easier source of food.

Adelie Penguin Predators and Threats

lemari asam lokal .adv - Adult Adelie Penguins have no land based predators due to the uncompromising conditions that they inhabit. In the water nevertheless, the biggest threat to the Adelie Penguin is the Leopard Seal, which is one of the southern-most types of Seal and a dominant predator in the Southern Ocean. These Penguins have learnt to avoid these predators by swimming in huge groups and not walking on thin ice. The Killer Whale is the other primary predator of the Adelie Penguin, although they typically hunt larger species of Penguin further north. South Polar Skuas are known to prey on the Adelie Penguin's eggs if left vulnerable, together with chicks that have strayed from a group.

Adelie Penguin Interesting Facts and Features

Adelie Penguins occupy one of the coldest environments on Earth therefore have a thick layer of fat under their skin assisting to keep them warmer. Their feathers assist to insulate them and supply a waterproof layer for extra protection. The Adelie Penguin is a highly effective hunter and is able to eat up to 2kg of food each day, with a breeding colony believed to consume around 9,000 tonnes of food over 24 hours. The flippers of the Adelie Penguin make them great at swimming and they can dive to depths of 175 meters in search of food. Adelie Penguins do not have teeth as such however rather have tooth-shaped barbs on their tongue and on the roof of their mouths. These barbs do not exist for chewing however rather aid the Penguin to swallow slippery victim.

Adelie Penguin Relationship with Humans

A check out to the Adelie Penguin colonies has long since been on the program for travelers to the Antarctic, who admire the huge varieties of them nesting on the beaches and hunting in the surrounding waters. This has actually suggested that Adelie Penguins are one of the most well-known of all Penguin types today. Early explorers nevertheless, also hunted the Penguins both for their meat and their eggs in order to survive in such uncompromising conditions.

Adelie Penguin Conservation Status and Life Today

In spite of having been confined to living on coastal Antarctica, Adelie Penguins are among the most common and prevalent Penguins in the southern hemisphere. With more than 2.5 million breeding pairs found throughout southern Antarctica, the Adelie Penguin has actually adapted well to it's polar environment. Scientists have likewise been understood to use Adelie Penguin nesting patterns as signs of climate change, observing that they are able to nest on beaches that were previously covered in ice. The Adelie Penguin is listed as Least Concern.

source: a-z animals

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