Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Yikes! Be careful out there!
The Daily Mail is showing astonishing pictures taken by nature photographer Paul Nicklen, which show a leopard seal hunting for penguin meat along the edges of Antarctic ice.
Unfortunately for the penguin shown above, the seal has found its prey.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The ice-hoppers
Photo by Maria Stenzel. Her comment, "I was shooting from the boat, on an unusually calm, sunny morning. Weaving among the icebergs, we could see chinstraps everywhere, many of them perched on the ice, resting from feeding or, in the case of juveniles, probably just hanging out. They are incredible athletes, able to scale the steepest of slopes, digging into the ice with their crampon-like claws."
The South Sandwich Islands are home to the world’s largest colony of chinstrap penguins. Every summer, two million or so pairs arrive on the island of Zavodovski. They immediately start mating and laying eggs. This gives them time to raise their chicks before winter. They fatten the chicks on krill, small prawn-like crustaceans in the sea, before winter comes and the ocean freezes over.
Entry in Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wooden Penguin Walker
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
10,000 penguins come to shore
It is one of the most extraordinary sights in nature: more than 10,000 King Penguins standing shoulder to shoulder at St Andrew's bay on the island of South Georgia, preparing to breed.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Penguin Squeezie Stress Relief
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Aromatherapy Penguin
Monday, October 22, 2007
Video: Penguin Fashion Show
Penguins dressed as Christmas elves and runway modeling in a Japanese "funny animals" TV clip.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
New penguins arrive in Galveston at Moody Gardens
Galveston Island is getting some new residents and they showed up all the way from Canada.
The new islanders are a group of penguins from Biodome de Montreal. They are six Macaroni, five Gentoo and four Rock Hopper penguins.
"Adding these penguins will make for a more diverse collection, and will bring the total number of birds to 90," said Diane Olsen, assistant curator at Moody Gardens. "Our exhibit will also more closely mimic nature in the sub Antarctic."
The new penguins have been in a month long quarantine and now will join the penguins already in the South Atlantic exhibit.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Penguin Poop
"Penguin Poop" - Chocolate Candy
Are you struggling to find a penguin gift for the person that has everything? How about one of our famous jars of "Penguin Poop"? Besides being a fantastic penguin conversation piece, the chocolate rock candy really tastes great. Why not buy a case and stock up for that long hard penguin winter?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A penguin's eye view
Scientists were puzzled until recently by how Antarctica’s emperor penguins, stars of the 2005 documentary March of the Penguins, had adapted their feeding strategies to melting habitats threatening to endanger them. From above ground it seemed little had changed.
The Crittercam revealed that the penguins were diving deep under ice caps, using sunlight to spot small fish, and shooting up to catch them.
The Crittercam has already been used over 500 times on small whales, sharks, sea turtles and emperor penguins, and has changed the assumptions scientists had made about how those animals communicate, hunt, feed and nurse. More than 50 scientists attended the symposium this weekend to share how they have used Crittercam technology in their work.
Photo: Greg Marshall/National Geographic
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Penguins 'fish with friends'
Penguins make friends with each other and team up when they go on fishing trips, research has revealed.
Little penguins, the smallest penguin species, have been observed crossing the beach in groups of about five to ten as they go on long trips to find food for their chicks.
It is thought this grouping makes them less vulnerable to attacks from predators, but researchers led by Andre Chiaradia of the Philip Island Nature Park in Australia decided to see whether the penguins seek to choose particular fishing partners.
They found that middle-aged animals did tend to team up with the same penguins on different trips. However when fish were less scarce the birds were not so keen to fish with friends, suggesting they wanted to fish alone to avoid sharing food.
(via)
Plush Penny Penguin Cell Phone Cover
Fun Friends™ Plush Animal Cell Phone Covers are cute and stretch to fit most flip style cell phones. Made of the highest quality fabrics and materials, these adorable plush cell phone covers are a great gift or stocking stuffer for family and friends. Soft to the touch, these cute creatures are the perfect accessory for your cell phone.
Monday, October 15, 2007
365 Penguins
365 Penguins - In this oversize picture book from France, family members deal with penguins that arrive at their home -- one a day, for a full year.
The highjinks begin on New Year's Day. As the penguin population increases, Dad, Mom, and the kids use multiplication and a few other schemes to organize, feed, and care for the increasing number of birds, but the scheme they hatch only meets with temporary success.
(via)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Penguin Mom & Chick Picture Frame
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Penguin March Brings Smiles To Sick Kids
The halls of Rady Children's Hospital were filled with smiles and giggles Friday, as two of SeaWorld's resident penguins led the patients on a march down the hallways.
The children, patients of the Hematology/Oncology unit, are too fragile to attend the water park's upcoming "Shamu and You Family Walk," so SeaWorld brought the animals to them.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Tiffany Penguin Accent Lamp
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Rappin Penguin
Rappin Penguin
Entertain and amuse your family and holiday guests with this animated penguin that sings a rap version of "Jingle Bells" as he flaps his wings, moves his beak and sways to the music. Plush creature features sunglasses and a silver, snowflake bling-bling. Activate the rap by pushing the button on the penguin's left wing.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Old photo
The photo album of the Zoological Society of London, which has been running London Zoo for almost 180 years, is accessible online. Photographs of the historic zoo dating from the 19th century through to astonishing images of the present day can be viewed at www.zsl.org/printstore, bringing the Zoo’s history to life through the web.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust
The Yellow-eyed penguin is a black and white bird with distinct yellow eye stripes. It is a very secretive bird that nests away from others amongst dense vegetation normally raising two chicks every year.
This unique penguin is found only along New Zealands south islands' eastern coastline, as far north as Banks Peninsula and as far south as Stewart Island and beyond to Campbell Island.
In the 1980s research on the Otago Peninsula showed that the penguin population had declined severely, and that the yellow-eyed penguin was now considered to be an endangered species. This was due to severe predation and loss of habitat.
In 1987 Dunedin conservationists formed the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust with the aim of saving the penguin by restoring coastal forest and controlling predators. The penguin is the focus but the Trust's efforts also benefit other native species of plant and animal.
The Trust is based in Dunedin but manages land and penguin interests in the whole of mainland New Zealand.
The Trust's first twenty years have seen the penguin population increase, yet they are still a long way from being a self-sustaining population.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Penguin Shower Radio
Penguin Shower Radio
Take this handsome Penguin Radio with you into the bath or shower and listen to the top 40 countdown, sing all the latest tunes, or hear the football results.
With powerful suction pads stick this penguin onto your bathroom tiles or windows and you need never be bored again while you wash!