Learn how penguins' body temperatures help them stay warm. When scientists took infrared thermal images of emperor penguins, they found that the surface of their feathers is actually colder than the frigid air surrounding them. Feathers do not cover the penguin's eyes, feet, and beak, so those parts of their body measured at higher temperatures. Apparently the penguins use radiative cooling to draw heat from the air around them. The penguins are able to keep their core body temperature at 39 degrees Celsius even in the negative 40 degree Celsius temperatures during nights in the Antarctic. They are insulated by a layer of blubber that helps keep their core temperature at a manageable level. The penguins are also known to huddle together with each other to maintain warmth during the winter. Penguin's feathers are waterproof, which helps them stay dry and warm in the subzero environments where they live. Penguins are known to shed their feathers annually, and grow them back during a two to three week period of time. Most male and female penguins look alike, but during mating season, the females have muddy footprints on their back that are left by the male penguins.

Be the first to comment