Penguin Personality Quiz

Who can resist those snappy little personality quizzes? Somehow it feels as though some great mystery about ourselves will be revealed, though it never is.

Still, you might have been spending a lot of time wondering whether you’re an Adelie sort of penguin or a Chinstrap. The people at Pew Charitable Trusts’ environmental group seemingly have been aware of how many sleepless nights you’ve had pondering this very issue, so they came up with a Penguin Personality Quiz.

The official reason is that  Thursday was World Penguin Day — because of course every month, every week, every day, is named for something, and I’m not just talking about the sun, the moon and Norse gods.

I’m not sure how we got into all this cute naming of days in honor of one concept or another, but in any case, penguins are apparently so cute that they take up two days every year — there’s also a Penguin Awareness Day in January — leaving very little room for all the other species whose habitats are shrinking.

And the real reason is to drum up support for a far more serious test later this year: Will two dozen nations plus the European Union vote to create a marine sanctuary in the waters off  Antarctica? Russia and China are the biggest obstacles to the idea, which is supported by most of the other nations.

Into saving penguins as much as Penguin Place? Then you might want to check to see if you have an Emperor in you. Penguins apparently have pretty simple personalities; the quiz is very short.

Penguin Blanket

It’s been a few years since Penguin Place has offered a penguin blanket of any sort, but today marked the arrival of what may be our most beautiful penguin blanket offering ( in a 1970′s sort of way).  This queen size, extremely colorful scene depicting an Emperor Penguin and chick on the Antarctic ice with the vivid polar lights above them, and more penguins on ice in the background will certainly become the centerpiece of your bedroom.  This very cool, retro looking blanket is available in a queen size (95″ x 79″) only, and makes a great looking bed spread, throw or disco wall covering as well as blanket.  This luxury plush blanket is not made from any animal. It is a printed high pile acrylic or acrylic/ polyester blend blanket. It’s called a “plush blanket” and it gets its name from the furry, plush soft texture that feels similar to mink fur. This penguin blanket does not shed, bleed, fade and is machine washable and Dryer safe! They are durable and will last from 10-20 years with normal wear and tear.  Our penguin plush blanket is also allergy free .

Queen Size Penguin Blanket

Penguins and Global Warming

It goes without saying that even penguins are affected by the climate change that takes place out there. Due to global warming around the world, their natural environment is affected. Those species that live in the extremely cold regions depend on the ice because it is what they walk on. When it is melting at fast rates it completely changes their natural environment. At the same time it can make them vulnerable to predators that they were protected from in the past due to the thick sheets of ice. Scientists believe that half of the population of penguins in the Antarctic region has been depleted in the last 50 years due to the climate change. It is the species known as the Emperor Penguins that have seen the largest losses. This is due to the warming trends continuing for several years. There is plenty of change that takes place over that span of time, and most of it isn’t positive when it comes to the natural habitat of the penguins.You also need to remember that these penguins trek over miles and miles of frozen ice to be able to get to their breeding grounds. When those sheets of ice are melting though this is more of a difficult process. As a result it can prevent penguins from reaching those breeding grounds in time. Therefore the number of females that successfully create eggs with offspring in them is reduced as well. It may surprise you that some penguins have to worry about sunburn. They live in warmer climates where it is possible for them to become too hot. Some of them need to cover their feet with their flippers while on land to prevent them from being sunburned. Others have to continually attempt to cool their bodies due to the excessive heat. The young are very vulnerable too because they are born with no feathers or very few of them so the rays from the sun can easily penetrate to their skin. These penguins in the warmer areas may spend more of their time in the water to be able to cool off. This can make them more likely to be eaten by predators though because they are in the water for extended lengths of time. They also use plenty of energy to swim around so they will then have to hunt for more food in the water to maintain their needs. While there is research to indicate many species of penguins are making changes so they can adapt to the climate change, the rate of the change may be too fast to allow the penguins to adapt, and besides it doesn’t mean we should allow it to continue. They are doing what they must in order to survive. Yet these changes can easily upset their natural balance of things. As a result there is an increased risk of adults dying as well as their offspring not making it to maturity. In some species of penguins, such stressful changes result in them not participating in reproduction at all. What the future holds for the penguins out there depends on our efforts. Too many people don’t see global warming and climate change as something they need to be concerned about. However, with the education about such issues it is hopeful that more people will take a firm stand to make changes for themselves and for future generations. We all need to be aware of global warming concerns and how they affect the world around us. The penguins are just one more element in our world that is adversely affected by it. That is why we all need to take responsibility for what we contribute to our environment. By taking steps individually to reduce global warming, we can create a collective effort that is going to make a difference.

Searching For Happy Feet

The Penguin Post has learned that a wealthy New Zealand philanthropist wants to find Happy Feet, the lost emperor penguin that gained worldwide stardom after he washed up on a New Zealand beach thousands of miles from his Antarctic home. After being nursed back to health, Happy Feet caught a ride home on a research ship, where in a very public media event he was released, complete with an electronic tracker that allowed people to follow his progress on the internet. That signal died only a short time later, prompting many to fear Happy Feet had met with an unfortunate end. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald Gareth Morgan – who paid for the transmitter – said he believed the popular penguin may have simply swum out of range and he plans to mount a mission to find him. This theory matches that of tracking company Sirtrack who said in September that the rumors of Happy Feet’s death were greatly exaggerated and that it was likely his tracking device had simply fallen off. Mr Morgan, a former economist known in his native New Zealand as an author and philanthropist, will join 12 scientists on a 30-day voyage to Antarctica early next year to raise awareness of the importance of the region, and as an “add-on” to the trip will try to prove the wayward bird is alive. “He’s got a radio-chip embedded in him so in theory, we could come across a colony of penguins and go out with a radio transmitter trying to find him,” he said. Let’s keep our flippers crossed that that’s the case.

Happy Feet moments before his release.

 

 

Penguin Made In Japan

The Penguin Post has learned that in Japan a newly hatched emperor penguin has been presented to the public for the first time at an animal park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture,  the only facility in Japan that has succeeded in breeding the species, the park’s operator said. The baby penguin was hatched Oct. 18 using a special incubator at Wakayama Adventure World, one of just two locations in the country that keeps emperor penguins. With the new chick, the park now has a flock of 14 emperor penguins. According to Adventure World, it is difficult to breed emperor penguins as it requires an environment similar to the penguins’ natural habitat in Antarctica. The chick, the sixth emperor penguin to be hatched at the park, is being fed ground herring and other seafood five times a day.

A recently hatched emperor penguin is seen at Wakayama Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, last Thursday

Happy Feet’s Fate Still Being Debated

The fate of Happy Feet, the emperor penguin who washed up in New Zealand, 2000 miles from his Antarctic home, remained a mystery despite persistent questioning in the New Zealand parliament on Thursday.  Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley could only tell the House of

Happy Feet before released.

Representatives that it was “highly improbable” that he was caught in the nets of a trawler after being released into the Southern Ocean September 4. The saga of Happy Feet has been followed by thousands around the world since he was nursed back to health after being found on a North Island beach eating sand under the impression it was snow. Fans expressed alarm when the satellite transmitter glued to his feathers stopped sending signals eight days after he was freed from a boat into the near-freezing waters off New Zealand’s Campbell Island. There was immediate speculation that he had been eaten by a whale or some other monster of the deep, but Green member of parliament Gareth Hughes suspected he had been swept up in the nets of one of nine trawlers recorded around Happy Feet’s last known location. The boats, trawling for southern blue whiting, or blue cod, were 37 to 55 kilometres away from the penguin at the time of the last transmission. “A southern blue whiting trawler can cover 50 nautical miles (893 kilometres) in a day, and we are talking about an incredibly long net that is almost half a kilometre wide and 75 metres high,” Hughes said. “How can the minister claim that it is very unlikely that Happy Feet was possibly trawled?” he asked. As the speaker tried to keep order amid the festive noise of the last day of parliament before next month’s general election, Heatley reminded parliament that the closest vessel was 32 kilometers away when the transmissions fell silent. “Its fishing lines are not 32 kilometers long,” he said. “That would have meant that the vessel raced the transponder’s emission, which went probably faster than – or close to – the speed of light. That would have been a very fast fishing vessel, indeed.” Heatley said ministry officials had been monitoring the fishing boats and Happy Feet’s transponder on adjacent screens, and they never came near each other.

Happy Feet Gone But Not Forgotten

The Penguin Post has learned that Happy Feet may be gone but not forgotten as workers at a New Zealand nature preserve where a confused emperor penguin washed ashore in June say they want to erect a sign at the now famous Peka Peka beach to honor the bird.  Happy Feet was released back into the wild closer to its home in the Southern Ocean Sept. 4, and the Nga Manu Nature Reserve is petitioning for a monument, the Kapiti Observer in New Zealand reported Tuesday. Nga Manu Manager Bruce Benseman has applied to the Waikanae Community Board for $600 to erect a sign marking the spot where Happy Feet washed ashore in Peka Peka. He pointed out that an emperor penguin has visited New Zealand only one other time, 44 years ago. “It is therefore a rare and special occurrence and worth memorializing,” he said. The sign would give visitors to the beach information on whom to contact if they discover stranded wildlife.

Happy Feet on Peka Peka Beach in late June

Happy Feet Missing In Action

The  Penguin Post has learned that everyone’s favorite penguin of 2011 known to the world as “Happy Feet” is now classified as missing in action somewhere in the southern ocean on his way home from New Zealand, eluding his trackers just days after his release and leaving behind a penguin mystery that may never be solved. As Happy Feet’s satellite transmitter went silent Friday, five days after experts released the bird from a research ship into the Southern Ocean about a quarter of the way down to Antarctica. Initial dispatches from the device showed that Happy Feet swam in a meandering route, ending up about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of where he began by the time the last transmission came across Friday morning. Experts say his looping pattern was typical for a healthy penguin chasing fish. At this point, the transmitter may have simply fallen off. . It was attached to the bird’s feathers with super glue and was supposed to fall off anyway early next year when he molted. “Who knows? He’s probably swimming along quite happily without a transmitter on his back,” said Peter Simpson, a program manager at New Zealand’s department of conservation. But there’s a tiny chance they could get more clues one day because of another, small device implanted under the bird’s skin. This transponder chip could send a signal if it comes close enough to an Antarctic monitoring site, but that might take years. Kevin Lay, a consultant at the company Sirtrack, which attached the tracking device, said staff have gone over diagnostics from the tracker and it appears it was functioning well until the last transmission. Lay said the tracker needs to be above the water’s surface to transmit. Because penguins surface regularly to breathe, that hadn’t proved a problem until Friday. “We think the most likely scenario is tag detachment,” Lay said. “The intention was always that the transmitter would fall off.” Simpson said he was still confident that releasing Happy Feet was the right thing to do. “He’s a marine bird and he’s designed to swim and he’s designed to live in the ocean,” Simpson said.  Scientists say there’s an outside possibility they may again hear from Happy Feet because of the implanted transponder chip, similar to those used to identify household cats and dogs. The chip could be activated if the penguin turns up near certain monitored emperor colonies in Antarctica. Because Happy Feet is believed to be about 3 years old, it could be a year or two before he would arrive in an Antarctic colony to breed — if he is still alive. New Zealand penguin expert Colin Miskelly said it’s time to face facts. “It’s unlikely that we will ever know what caused the transmission to cease,” Miskelly wrote on his blog. “But it is time to harden up to the reality that the penguin has returned to the anonymity from which he emerged.”

Happy Feet checks out his new enclosure aboard the research vessel Tangaroa at Burnham Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. just a few days before his release.

Video Footage of Happy Feet Being Released

Watch this very cool footage of Happy Feet the wayward  emperor penguin who found worldwide fame after he washed up on a New Zealand beach, being released with a gentle nudge back into the Southern Ocean from the Tangaora on Sunday to begin a long swim home to Antarctica.

 

Happy Feet To “Fly” in 24 Hours

The Penguin Post has learned that Happy Feet has taken to sleeping while standing up, and appears unperturbed by the 7-metre swells which are delaying his release. The penguin, which is still being kept in his crate on board the research vessel Tangaroa, now looks likely to be set free tomorrow. The Niwa team on board the vessel said he was coping well with the sway of the boat which is battling very rough and high seas with strong swells. “He is even sleeping standing up, keeping perfect balance.” Yet while he may seem calm, he has lost none of his stroppiness or impatience to be released. “When he wakes up, he squawks at the crew passing by and seems to know he is near home territory.” Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla, who is traveling on board the vessel with Happy Feet, said he was doing well, standing in his crate, and taking the conditions in his stride. Yesterday’s 12 foot swells were likely to be topped by 20 foot seas today. The boat had slowed down for safety reasons she said. “The Tangaroa is a reasonably big boat and the ocean is tossing her around as if she was a toy,” Dr Argilla said. Conditions were likely to clear tomorrow. Once the boat reaches a latitude of about 51 degrees, Happy Feet will be released off the back of the boat using the ship’s ramp where the crew will set up a specially-designed tarpaulin to slide him down.

Happy Feet has been sleeping standing up in his specially constructed transport container.