【明報專訊】With a dark grey back and a white belly, the king penguins are like walking tuxedos waddling (搖搖擺擺地走) in the freezing South Pole region. They inhabit islands in the southern oceans and sub-Antarctic (亞南極), but spend a lot of time in the ocean searching for food. Reaching a maximum height of nearly 1 metre, king penguins are the second largest species of penguins in the world.

Wings not in use?

Penguins are birds and they have wings called flippers (鰭肢). However, they don't fly. Although they appear to be clumsy on land, penguins are excellent swimmers underwater. When king penguins search for food, they are like deep sea divers and use their flippers to propel themselves to great depths. Their dives may last 15 minutes and can reach as deep as 300 metres!

Breeding is never easy in the cold

King penguins do not build nests like other birds. Instead, a female penguin lays a single egg and transfers it to her partner's feet, so that it is incubated above the feet and under the warm belly. The female will leave to feed to replenish the weight that was lost. Then the parents take turns in incubation. When hatched, the chick is naked and grows down feathers (絨羽) within a few weeks. During this vulnerable period, the chick is dependent upon its parents for food and warmth. After 13 months, it has grown its waterproof feathers, which means it can swim to feed on its own and finally become independent.

Unity is strength

King penguins are very social. They live in colonies (群體) with populations sometimes up to 39,000 breeding pairs! The advantage of living in such a large group is that they can conserve their heat by staying close together. This can also provide better protection from predators because they can make warning calls and defend the group together.

Climate change is real

King penguins have all adaptations they need to live in such a cold environment. However, climate change poses threats to them — ice is melting and sea levels are rising. All this will eventually affect the complex food web, which could bring consequences to other animals and humans.

Low-carbon lifestyle is the key

Whenever we flick a light switch or travel by car, we use energy produced from power stations burning coal, gas or oil. These fossil fuels release heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. To reduce our carbon emission (碳排放) , we can simply adopt a low-carbon lifestyle. Switch off electrical appliances that are not in use. Take a walk instead of a taxi. We can also help by having a low-carbon diet!

Text & photos: Ocean Park Hong Kong

■Glossary

clumsy (adj) 笨拙的

propel (v) 推進

replenish (v) 補充

vulnerable (adj) 易受傷害的

[Smarties' Power English 第209期]