Page 91 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

DAPPER DIVER
“Gentoo penguins can

travel 16 miles
GENTOO PENGUIN

(26 km) from land

during their fishing Short legs, big feet, and an upright body make penguins
look comical on land. Even when they are in a hurry,
expeditions” a waddle or belly-slide is the best they can do. But in the
water they turn into graceful swimmers and gentoo
penguins are the fastest of the lot. They dive into the
ocean hundreds of times every day, launching themselves
from slippery packs of floating ice and slicing cleanly
through the waves. Once underwater, their streamlined
bodies and flipperlike wings help them reach speeds
of up to 22 mph (36 km/h) to catch fish and other
prey—faster than most other kinds of diving birds.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 30–32 in (76–81 cm)
body length
• HABITAT Rocky coastlines and
adjoining seas
• LOCATION Islands around Antarctica
• DIET Krill, fish, worms, and squid

STATS AND FACTS
UPTO
24 DIVE DEPTH less than 177 ft/54 m
(when catching krill)

DIVES PER HOUR ft 200 400 600
m 50 100 150 200
FASTEST
177–446 ft/54–136 m
(when catching fish)
TIME SPENT
PENGUIN
10 hours (at sea) 14 hours (on land)
DIVE DURATION
86 hours 3 hours (in dives) 24
UNDERWATER

SEC

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