Some Interesting Things About Pet Penguins
What could be a better addition to your family than a few pet penguins? They are just about the cutest, charming little creatures in the world. So, maybe they're not all “little”, the largest species, the Emperor penguin can stand up to four feet tall and can weigh 90lbs. These would not ideally make good pet penguins.
Everything about the penguin’s structure is made to be in the water. They are very buoyant in the water due to their solid bones which allows them to swim very quickly. They can swim at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour by leaping in the water which is called porpoising. Be sure to not lose your pet penguins in the water or you'll never catch them.
Penguins are wearing a perfect little tuxedo all of the time which serves more of a purpose than just making them adorable. This coloring helps to camouflage them in the water. If a shark is on the prowl looking for food, the white on the penguin's belly will blend in with the light coming through the water. However, then the black on them will blend in with deep parts of the sea.
It is interesting to know that your pet penguins eat seafood, swallowed hole. They have no teeth to chew their food. Most will eat at least 10 fish per day. They do have feathers, more than any other bird at a count of over 80 feathers in each square inch. The fluffy down at the base of the feathers keep them warm even in the most frigid water. Penguins molt once a year and when they get hot they fluff their feathers to cool off. They also do not eat while they are molting so they over eat for a few weeks prior.
Penguins were at one point hunted for their feathers, meat and eggs and their droppings are incredible garden fertilizer. Today, oil spills are the main predator of the penguin. Many tankers will empty their tanks into the sea before entering into the port. This illegal dumping kills penguins. It coats their feathers so they can't stay warm and they ingest the oil when they're trying to clean themselves. This ingested oil will deplete their immune system and causes them to have stomach lesions. They are helpless unless someone captures them and cleans them which rarely will happen.
Commercial fishing is also making it difficult for the penguin to survive. The fishermen deplete the waters of so many fish that often there is not enough fish left for the penguins to feed themselves and their chicks resulting in them starving.
You may wonder if your pet penguins will fall if something flies over them but this is just an urban legend. They do not have a leader but when they are in a group, one will step up and take the initiative to travel and the rest will follow. They also will often travel in an exact line including up to 3000 penguins.
So where do you get your pet penguins? You can't, not legally anyway. All penguins are protected. You cannot legally own one as a pet. Even if you could get a hold of one illegally do you really think you could keep one happy that spends half its life swimming surrounded by love of other penguins. This is not a creature that is meant to be held captive, no matter how much love you think you can give it. You may not be able to physically have pet penguins but you can sponsor one or make a donation and share your knowledge with others to keep the waters clean and safe for them.