Sunday, March 30, 2008

Cute lil' penguin chicks!


Incubation is considered the time it takes to warm the penguin's egg before it hatches. The female shifts the egg on to the top of the male's feet, while she goes to sea to find food. As I mentioned in earlier postings, the male is left there for several weeks without food, living off its body fat until the female returns. The incubation period can last anywhere from one month to 66 days. The temperature for incubation averages 30 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, if the female doesn't return in time, the male may have already abandoned the nest to find food. In this case, the egg, of course, will not be able to hatch.

When penguin eggs do hatch, it is called "pipping". The chick will poke a hole and chip at the shell until the top comes off. Sometimes this actually takes up to three days to accomplish. All penguin chicks except King Penguins, who hatch naked, will hatch covered with fine down feathers. They may be white, gray, black, or brown, and are not waterproof. The chicks can not go into the water until they grow "juvenile plumage". They can then enter the water and be independent from their parents after about a year.

Emperor Penguins, in particular, have interesting markings on their face, which helps to see them easier in the snow. This is due to the fact that they do not have individual nesting sites.
Both the mother and father feed their chick
regurgitated food. Adults can identify their own chicks by their call. They feed only their chicks. Emperor male penguins can actually produce a substance from their esophagus to feed the chick if the female hasn't returned before the chick hatches. This form of survival can last up to two weeks. Parents keep their chicks warm by covering them with their brood patch. Some chicks will form "creches" with other chicks, providing protection from predators.

Both pictures were provided by
the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database.

Busch Entertainment Corporation. (2008). Hatching and Care of Chicks. Sea World/Busch Gardens ANIMALS. Retrieved on March 29, 2008 from http://www.buschgardens.org/infobooks/Penguins/hatching.html

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