企鹅Penguins

Dancing penguins

IN the heart of Antarctica is the kingdom of Emperor Penguins (帝企鹅).

Here, you are nobody unless you can sing. This is bad news for Mumble. He

is the worst singer in the world, but he's a natural born tap dancer (踢踏舞者). Though his mum thinks this little skill is cute, both his parents know

that without a special song, Mumble may never find his true love.

Penguins are flightless birds belonging to the family Spheniscidae. World-wide there are 17 species of

penguin, all of which breed in the Southern hemisphere. The name is believed to have originated from the

Welsh "pen gwyn" which means white head. The name was originally applied to Great Auks, which are

flightless birds that lived in the northern hemisphere, before being hunted to extinction in the 19th Century.

Great Auks looked similar to penguins, and were also unable to fly, which is why they were killed off so

easily by sailors who used them for food.

选自Introduction to Penguins

Penguins

Penguins are birds highly adapted for marine life, having a shape

that enables extreme agility underwater. They also have a waterproof coat

of dense feathers and a well developed layer of fat for insulation.

All penguin species are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, but

the greatest numerical concentrations are on Antarctic coasts and

sub-Antarctic islands.

Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua)(sub-antarctic

islands), adélie [阿德列企鹅](Pygoscelis adeliae)(Antarctic coasts) and

chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) (Antarctic Peninsula) breed in

the southern spring. Females lay only one egg usually and males share in

incubation and chick rearing. Predation by brown skuas and sheathbills is a

major cause of egg and chick loss, though complete breeding failure can

occur at times of low food availability.

Two migratory species of crested penguins, the macaroni

(Eudyptes chrysolophus) and rockhopper (Eudyptes chrysocome), breed on

sub-antarctic islands. Crested penguins are unique in that the first of two

eggs in a clutch is always smaller than the second. The smaller egg rarely

hatches and only one chick is raised

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) also breed on

sub-Antarctic islands in large colonies, though with territorial spacing.

Adults incubate a single egg and brood the chick resting on their feet. In

contrast, emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) form colonies on sea

ice at the edges of the Antarctic continent and breed during the Antarctic

winter. Physiological adaptations and congregating in large crèches enables

them to withstand the harsh conditions.

The main prey of penguins are fish, squid and crustaceans, with

variation of diet occurring within the feeding regimes of different species.

Duration of feeding trips and diving performance also varies between

species.

Most species of Antarctic penguin are abundant and

not seriously threatened by man's activities. However

rockhopper and macaroni penguin populations have

decreased substantially in recent years (though without

obvious cause). In addition there remain concerns that

Southern Ocean krill fisheries could compete with

penguins for food, particularly during the breeding season.

March of the Penguins

Each winter, alone in the pitiless ice deserts of Antarctica, deep in

the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, a truly remarkable journey takes

place as it has done for millennia. Emperor penguins in their thousands

abandon the deep blue security of their ocean home and clamber onto the

frozen ice to begin their long journey into a region so bleak, so extreme, it

supports no other wildlife at this time of year. In single file, the penguins

march blinded by blizzards, buffeted by gale force winds. Guided by

instinct, by the otherworldly radiance of the Southern Cross, they head

unerringly for their traditional breeding ground where--after a ritual

courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a

cacophony of ecstatic song--they will pair off into monogamous couples and

mate. The females remain long enough only to lay a single egg. Once this is

accomplished, exhausted by weeks without nourishment, they begin their

return journey across the ice-field to the fish-filled seas. The male

emperors are left behind to guard and hatch the precious eggs, which they

cradle at all times on top of their feet. After two long months during which

the males eat nothing, the eggs begin to hatch. Once they have emerged

into their ghostly white new world, the chicks can not survive for long on

their fathers' limited food reserves. If their mothers are late returning

from the ocean with food, the newly-hatched young will die. Once the

families are reunited, the roles reverse, the mothers remaining with their

new young while their mates head, exhausted and starved, for the sea, and

food. While the adults fish, the chicks face the ever-present threat of

attack by prowling giant petrels. As the weather grows warmer and the ice

floes finally begin to crack and melt, the adults will repeat their arduous

journey countless times, marching many hundreds of miles over some of the

most treacherous territory on Earth, until the chicks are ready to take

their first faltering dive into the deep blue waters of the Antarctic.

楔翼总目(Impennes)又叫企鹅总目， 只包括企鹅目(Sphenisciformes)企鹅科(Spheniscidae)，包括6属18种企鹅。

全部为不会飞翔而擅长游泳和潜水的海洋鸟类。体羽呈鳞片状，均匀分布于体表，骨骼沉重，胸骨有发达的龙骨突。企鹅通常被当作是南极的象征，但企鹅最多的种类却分布在南温带，其中南大洋中的岛屿，南美洲和新西兰都比较多，在这里有6属13种企鹅营巢，其中有2个属限于澳新地区，而企鹅中最大的属角企鹅属也是以澳新地区为分布中心。企鹅第二大属环企鹅属则主要分布于亚热带和热带地区，甚至可到达赤道附近，而在南极大陆沿岸营巢的企鹅只有2属4种，亚南极有2属2种，而真正在南极大陆越冬的则只有皇企鹅。现存于世的企鹅有18种，它们分别是小白鳍企鹅、白鳍企鹅、黄眼企鹅、麦哲伦企鹅、秘鲁企鹅、加拉帕戈斯企鹅、帝企鹅、王企鹅、阿德里企鹅、南极企鹅、巴布亚企鹅、史氏角企鹅、角企鹅、响弦角企鹅、马可罗尼角企鹅和直冠角企鹅。

1、王企鹅属(Aptenodytes）

有两种，帝企鹅和王企鹅，是最大型也是最漂亮的企鹅。

帝企鹅：

皇企鹅Aptenodytes forsteri：身高一米以上，体重可超过30千克，是唯一在南极大陆沿岸一带过冬的鸟类，并在冬季繁殖，皇企鹅每次只产一枚卵，孵化时由雄企鹅将其放在两脚的蹼上并用肚皮盖住，此其间，雄企鹅停止进食，完全靠脂肪维持生命，直到幼企鹅孵出，其体重可减轻1/3。

王企鹅：

体型稍小些，嘴则比较长，颜更加鲜艳，主要分布于南大洋一带及亚南极地区，最北可到新西兰一带。

2、阿德里企鹅属（Pygoscelis)

有3种。巴布亚企鹅、阿德里企鹅、南极企鹅。

巴布亚企鹅Pygoscelis papua ：

又叫金图企鹅，分布于南极半岛和南大洋中的岛屿岛屿上

阿德里企鹅Adelie Penguin ：

数量最多的企鹅，可在南极见到大规模的体，游荡于南极有浮冰的水域。

阿德里企鹅是一夫一妻制的动物。它们在产卵之前会先筑巢，一些小石子围成一个窝的形状，可以有效的防卵的滚动。但在南极，由于到处是冰雪覆盖，小石子成了稀缺资源，被严格控制起来。每个阿德里企鹅所分配的小石子数量是相当有限的。如果有雄性企鹅妄图去偷窃邻居家的小石子，会被人家豪不客气的赶出家门。但这时候雌性企鹅会悄悄的跟男邻居偷情，而后，邻居就会默许雌性把自家的小石子衔几颗回去。

南极企鹅Pygoscelis antarctica ：

又叫帽带企鹅，主要分布于南极一带，有时游荡到南极以外。

帽带企鹅最明显的特征是脖子底下有一道黑条纹，像海军军官的帽带，显得威武、刚毅。苏联人称之为“警官企鹅”。

3、角企鹅属(Eudyptes)

企鹅中种类最多，分布最广的一属，有6种，头部有黄羽冠，在陆地上活动比较敏捷，在新西兰的有些种可进入森林。凤冠企鹅、响弦角企鹅、竖冠企鹅、史氏角企鹅、冠企鹅、长冠企鹅。

凤冠企鹅： 又称厚嘴角企鹅，分布于新西兰一带。

响弦角企鹅：又称凤头企鹅，分布于新西兰的斯内斯岛。

竖冠企鹅：分布于新西兰一带水域。

史氏角企鹅：分布于澳大利亚的麦阔里岛。

冠企鹅：也称跳崖企鹅，主要分布于南美洲南部及南大洋一带。

长冠企鹅：也称马可罗尼角企鹅，分布于南大洋一带及亚南极地区。

4、黄眼企鹅属(Megadytes)

只有一种，即黄眼企鹅，分布于新西兰南岛一带。

黄眼企鹅Megadyptes antipodes：分布于新西兰南岛一带。

5、白鳍企鹅属(Eudyptula)

有两种，是最小型的企鹅。小鳍脚企鹅、白翅鳍脚企鹅。

小鳍脚企鹅Eudyptula minor：

又叫仙企鹅，蓝企鹅，分布于澳大利亚到新西兰一带，其中澳大利亚菲利浦岛的小鳍脚企鹅每年9-10月下午8:05准时登陆，成为一大奇观。

白翅鳍脚企鹅：

分布于新西兰南岛东部，有时被并入小鳍脚企鹅。

6、环企鹅属(Spheniscus)

环企鹅属，有4种，是分布最靠北的企鹅。非洲企鹅、洪堡企鹅、麦哲伦企鹅、加岛环企鹅。

非洲企鹅：又叫斑嘴环企鹅、黑足企鹅或公驴企鹅，产于南非

洪堡企鹅：又叫洪氏环企鹅，产于秘鲁一带的南美洲西海岸。

麦哲伦企鹅：又叫麦氏环企鹅，产于南美洲南部。

加岛环企鹅：产于赤道附近的加拉帕哥斯岛。