Do Penguins Get Cold
are penguins cold |
Do penguins ever get cold
"How do penguins prevent them from dying of cold?" and even so, "are they never cold?"
It seems that there are actually several factors that prevent penguins from dying of cold.
How Do Penguins Survive in the Cold
They are able to survive the brutal cold because of their size. Emperor penguins can weigh up to 50 kg. Although they are not huge animals, they are big enough to fight the cold.
"The bigger the animal, the smaller the surface/volume ratio", so there is less room to lose heat. "If it does not make sense, think of a glass of water in the freezer. The more water in the cup, the longer it will take to freeze, the larger the animal, the more it will be. will take time to cool down.
why penguins don't get cold |
In addition to their size, the Penguins have two built-in functions that are very useful when the temperature is below freezing. First, a layer of fat beneath the surface of their skin. this layer of fat is like insulation for penguins and is especially crucial when the birds are in the water. "It allows all warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals to stay up to 25.8 degrees Fahrenheit". But it is certain that Antarctic waters are much colder.
The second important element for the survival of penguins in the cold is their feathers. Although they do little to protect penguins in the water, their feathers are extremely useful on land, both as a second layer of insulation and as a means of drying out. "The penguin feathers do not look like the large, flat feathers of flying birds, they are short and covered with a layer of fine and woolly down,". "Penguin feathers are also very effective at melting water when the bird emerges from the sea. They overlap and give a good aerodynamic effect in the water and excellent wind loss capabilities ashore,"
Do Penguins Get Cold Feet?
penguins feet get cold |
But surely, penguins are sometimes a little cold, right? Yes, especially their feet, who do not have this layer of hot fat to protect them. Obviously, if their feet were too cold, they could not move them, which would lead to inactivity and even more serious problems.
However, Penguins have an integrated mechanism to handle this as well. The muscles that penguins use to make their feet work are not actually in their feet, but rather in an area of the body that is protected by the layer of fat and the feathers of the penguin. "This means that no matter if the feet and fins become very cold, they can still be used normally by fully functional regions and at normal body temperature".
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