I am sure you are all getting things ready for New Year’s Eve so I want to thank you for taking 2 minutes out of your schedule to check out today’s Wild Fact. I wanted you all to know that I still haven’t figured out my scheduling issues with my blogging platform. This means that my posts may be published earlier or later depending on my schedule. Thank you for bearing with me while I try to figure out the glitches.
I bet when I said I would devote this week to animals of the Galapagos you were not expecting a post about a penguin. Believe it or not the Galapagos Penguin is able to survive at the equator. It is the furthest north that a penguin species occurs. This is a small penguin that stands at 16 to 18 inches and weighs about 5 pounds. I guess the biggest question we have for this little penguin is how can it possibly survive on the incredibly warm Galapagos Islands? Luckily, the Humboldt current brings cooler temperatures from the deeper parts of the ocean. This cool water is vital in the survival of the Galapagos penguin. As well, this particular penguin has evolved a couple of adaptations to surviving the heat.
Obviously going into the water seems like the quickest and smartest way to cool off. I know that is what I would do! But when that is not an option the Galapagos penguin will stretch out its flippers while hunching over. This keeps the sun from shining directly on their feet. The penguin has a lot of blood flowing to their feet which means that the heat will be lost at these extremities. This is the same logic as to why our mothers always made us wear a hat while playing outside in the winter. I guess not entirely the same since our mothers were trying to keep us warm but still the same principles. If this method isn’t working well enough then they take a page from man’s best friend. Believe it or not these little birds will begin panting as the evaporation from the throat and airways will help with cooling the penguin.
I guess the biggest thing to take from this post is if you love penguins but hate the cold then take a trip to the Galapagos so you can have the best of both worlds.
Now go out and bring in the New Year! Be safe and have fun!
Happy New Year, Nathan!
Hopefully your glitches can disappear in the next few days and your schedule is back on track!
Think about my FREE offer and boost your blog traffic in 2010!
Thanks for the well wishes! I hope you were able to enjoy your holidays. All the best to you and your family in 2010.
I am still pondering your offer. I am not sure how much I want to get into Adgitize. As well, I am thinking about stopping Entrecard. I like the traffic but I would prefer people that actually read and enjoy the blog instead of people that just stop by to click a button. I will definitely let you know if I decide to continue using Adgitize.
Thanks and have a great day!
Glitches are part of life, imagine how boring life would be without them!
Today’s post just increased your Uncle’s chances of going to the Galapagos – he desperately wants to visit there and I love penguins!
Thank you for my trip down memory lane with my Fairy Penguins…:)
Have a Safe & Happy New Year!
Aunt Linda (& Uncle Larry too!)
Hi Aunt Linda (& Uncle Larry too!)
You are right about the glitches but I could do without this one. If I don’t have this fixed by the time I head out on vacation at the end of January then I won’t be able to post any facts since I won’t always have access to a computer. I will keep trying to fix this glitch so I don’t disappoint my readers 🙂
I hope you two do get to visit the Galapagos! I am sure it would be an incredible place to go. It is the birthplace of evolution so how can it not be interesting?
I hope you guys had a great holiday!
Well, I did not know that penguins will pant!
It is indeed an interesting adaptation!