Penguins
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Macaroni penguins
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
There are
about five million penguins in Antarctica. When a penguin is found dead,
members of the colony use their beaks and wings to dig a big hole. When the
hole is deep enough, the dead body is rolled into it and buried. The rest
gather round in a circle and sing, ‘Freeze a jolly good fellow, freeze a jolly
good fellow . . . ‘
Actually,
dead penguins are scavenged by skuas and petrels. The few that die on land
rather than ice do not decay but dry out. Strong winds erode the bodies,
gradually turning them into dust.
I like the thought of the penguins digging a hole then singing much better than the poor bird just left to turn into dust.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pleasing thought, isn't it?
DeleteFreeze a jolly good fellow :)
ReplyDelete;-)
DeleteSo lovely to see them. We saw them at very close quarters when we went to New Zealand in 2019 at an aquatic museum in Auckland.
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing birds. When we saw some with my late mother-in-law, she innocently said, 'Won't they fly away?'
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DeleteYou made me laugh over my toast and coffee this morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it :-)
DeleteHow do they know there are five million penguins
ReplyDeletein Antarctica...??? Has someone sat there for say
three years and counted them...! ??? :O).
And..Did you know polar bears 'do not' 'do not'
eat penguins...No! :(
Why..???
Because they can't get the wrappers off...
And off the top of me 'ead...
Why don’t you see penguins in Britain?
Because they’re afraid of Wales...
Where does a penguin go when it loses its tail?
A re-tail store...
Which side of a penguin has the most feathers?
The outside...
Now! Where's me lemon tea with honey and lemon...!
Good stuff!
DeleteHi Janice - well that was a surprise ... and an interesting read - poor ;pingwins' ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThey look so lovely but stink to high heaven of fish, not surprisingly!
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh, Janice, so thank you! But now I can't get the image out of my head :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteI know - crackers, isn't it? x x x
ReplyDelete