Why can penguins survive in such cold weather?

Penguins belong to Penguinales, Penguinidae, one of the oldest swimming birds, and may have settled in Antarctica before the earth put on ice armor. There are 18 species of penguins in the world, most of which are distributed in the southern hemisphere. On land, like a western gentleman in a tuxedo, he began to shake and sway, and when he was in danger, he fell down and got up, looking panicked. But penguins in the water are different. It uses its short wings to form a pair of powerful paddles. So many people may wonder why penguins can survive in such cold weather.

Penguins usually live south of the equator and can only be seen in sparsely populated places. Some penguins live in cold places, and some penguins live in tropical areas. But in fact, penguins don't like hot weather. They can only be happy in cold climate. So most penguins live in the cold sea off the coast of Antarctica. Penguin habitats should be different in general categories and distribution areas. Emperor penguins like to perch on ice shelves and sea ice. Adelie penguins and golden earth penguins can live on sea ice or in ice-free areas. Most penguins in sub-Antarctic like to live on rocks in ice-free areas, and often use stones to build nests.

Why are penguins not afraid of cold? First of all, we should start with its morphological structure. From the perspective of geometric biology, the specific surface area of spherical objects is the smallest. The smallest area per second means the smallest contact area with the outside world, and the smallest heat dissipation area means the smallest heat dissipation speed. Judging from the shape of penguin, its body has evolved to be as close to a sphere as possible. Its body is short and thick, its neck is short and thick, and its short legs and feet can reach under its stomach, reducing the contact area with the outside world and minimizing the loss of heat.

Penguins living near the South Pole are covered with dense feathers. The tips of feathers are curved, like fish scales, so that even water can't penetrate into them and can resist strong winds. There is dense fluff under the feather, just like the best quality sweater. With such fine feathers, penguins are like wearing a thick down jacket, which should be waterproof and warm, and not afraid of cold. At the same time, Qi Jingyao has thick fat on his body. It can also play a role in heat preservation. In the Antarctic, especially when the weather is bad, penguins live in groups, and the groups are constantly moving and exchanging inside and outside, so that they can keep warm with each other and minimize the loss of heat.

Penguin's tiny wings can make it swim as fast as flying in the water. It can prey on krill and other small fish in the water to provide energy for itself. So penguins can survive in cold weather.