The Adelie penguin is a medium-sized penguin and one of the southern-most birds in the world. The Adelie penguin is found on and around the Antarctic continent and the islands that are closer to it.
There are thought to about more than 5 million Adelie penguins spread across the Antarctic region, half a million of these have formed one of the largest animal colonies in the world on Ross Island. Ross Island is an island formed by the activities of four monstrous volcanoes in the Ross Sea, which belongs to New Zealand.
Like all species of penguin, the Adelie penguin is a highly sociable animal as the Adelie penguins both nest and hunt for food in large groups. By doing this, the Adelie penguins also have an advantage against predators as they can warn one another of oncoming danger and intimidate predators with there being so many of them.
The Adelie penguin is a carnivorous animal and is known to feed mainly on Antarctic krill, crystal krill (which is found in the ice), Antarctic silverfish, and squid. The exact diet of the Adelie penguin varies depending on the area which the penguins inhabit. The record of fossil eggshell accumulated in the Adelie penguin colonies over the last 38,000 years reveals a sudden change from a fish-based diet to krill that started two hundred years ago. This is most likely due to the decline of the Antarctic Fur Seal since the late 1700s and Baleen whales in the twentieth century. The reduction of competition from these predators has resulted in there being lots of krill, which the Adelie penguins are now able to exploit as an easier source of food.
The Adelie penguin spends the majority of its life at sea, but returns to their breeding grounds in December and January (which is the warmest time of year in Antarctica) to let their eggs hatch. The mother and father Adelie penguins take it in turns to keep their egg incubated and don't eat whilst they are doing this. The Adelie penguins build their nest from stones, basically creating a massive pile of them.
Adelie Penguin Foot Facts
- The feet of an Adelie penguin are tough and bumpy which helps the Adelie penguin to walk through snow and rocks.
- The Adelie penguin feet are normally white but turn pink after swimming as they have more blood flowing to them.
- The Adelie penguins use their strong feet and nails to help them to climb the rocky terrain that leads to their nesting grounds.
- The Adelie penguins use their feet and nails with their legs in order to push themselves along when sliding along the snow.
- The Adelie penguins use their webbed feet along with their small flippers to propel them along when swimming in the cold waters.
Adelie Penguin Teeth Facts
- Adelie penguins do not have teeth as such but instead have tooth-shaped barbs on their tongue and on the roof of their mouths.
- The tooth-shaped barbs in the mouth of the Adelie penguin do not exist for chewing but instead assist the penguin to swallow slippery prey.
- The Adelie penguin chicks have an egg-tooth which is a bump in the top of their beaks which allows them to break out of the egg.
- The Adelie penguin has a short, sharp beak which enables them to pluck their prey out of the water quickly.
- The Adelie penguin uses its beak to catch food, such as krill and squid and then swallow it whole assisted by their strong jaws and spiky tongue.
