PENGUINS
BIRDS IN TUXEDO SUITS
By Caitlind L. Alexander
A LearningIsland.com
15 - Minute Book
Editor: Jennifer Robinson
Pictures by Photos.com and Clipart.com
Smashwords Edition
(c) Copyright 2005 Caitlind l. Alexander. All rights reserved.
Published by LearningIsland.com.
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Penguins; Birds in Tuxedo Suits / Caitlind L. Alexander
Summary: A brief look at the lives of penguins.
1. Penguins. Juvenile Literature. 2. Wild Animals. Juvenile Literature. 3. Birds. Juvenile Literature.
Created in USA
Words: 1857
Reading Level: 3.8
Ages 8 and up.
What is a Penguin?
A penguin is a bird that can't fly. In fact it can't even walk very well. That's why penguins spend a lot of their time in the water.
Many penguins have dark feathers on their backs and their wings. The feathers on their front are often white. This makes it look like the penguin is wearing a tuxedo suit.
Their feathers are colored this way to make it harder for their enemies to see them. Most of their enemies are in the water. When a penguin is in the water, it swims with its stomach down. If an enemy is above them, the dark feathers on their back blend into the dark water below them. If the enemy is above them, the light feathers on their stomach blend into the ice and sky above them.
Penguins love to swim. It's the one place where their short, stiff wings become useful. They hold their whole body tight and let their wings do all the work.
Their feet stick out behind them and act as oars. They help move them through the water. Their tail acts like a rudder. When they turn their tail, it steers their body a different direction.
In the water a penguin’s wings make the same motions that other bird’s wings make in the air. In fact, penguins basically "fly" through the water.
In the air their wings are too short to lift the weight of their bodies. But penguins have a layer of blubber or fat under their skins. This helps them float. Since the water gives them the lift they need, their wings are able to fly them through the water.
The water is very cold. This makes the penguin’s body temperature drop. A penguin has to keep moving in the water or it will freeze to death.
