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Penguins are the cool-kids of the animal kingdom?
By Kate | July 15, 2007
Penguins have been the subject of many books and films as of late such as Happy Feet and Surf’s Up, March of the Penguins, and a parody film entitled Farce of the Penguins. What is the allure of these wobbly, feathered creatures? 
This is a traditional woolen doll with an Antarctic twist we found here in Mexico
Is it the tuxedo-like coloring? Is it that they mate for life? Is it the solidarity of the males during the long winter? What makes them fit to be the subjects of so much media?
Popular in Mexico, penguin gummy candies. Seriously.
Certainly, they can do amazing things. They are able to drink salt water safely because their supraorbital gland filters excess salt from the bloodstream. The salt is excreted in a concentrated fluid from the nasal passages. Aka salt snot. Penguins communicate by vocalizing and performing physical behaviors called “displays.” They can recognize their mates & chicks this way. And, of course my favorite habit… the male incubates the egg alone while the female heads to sea to chow-down. The male, for this several-week period, fasts and can lose up to 45% of his body weight.
These are fascinating facts are indeed impressive. But, there are plenty of awe-inspiring creatures out there. Like the naked mole rat, for example. Those things can chew through cement! 25% of the muscle of these little underground rodents is devoted to closing the jaw- compared to 1% of human muscle mass dedicated to the jaw. I became obsessed with the naked mole rat at the Portland zoo in 1999. Did you know that worker mole rats eat their own droppings? This gives them a second chance to digest the fibrous roots that they feed on. Efficient to boot. After watching all available editions of the “Blue Planet” series, I am even extremely impressed with the biodiversity of our world. But, if a penguin and a mole rat were both Homecoming princesses, I’d vote for the mole rat!
Long live the queen!
Tagged with: Animals • Earth • Nature • penguins
July 17th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I distinctly remember Katie wanting a naked mole rat as a pet when we were little.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I think the naked mole rat looks ALOT like me.