25th April of every year is celebrated as World Penguin Day to create awareness about the threat to the existence of these flightless birds. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), a non governmental organisation mentions that this day coincides with the annual northern migration of Adelie penguins of Antarctica.
Key Points:
i.The ASCO worked with artist Vrinda Manglik to develop a story on the challenges faced by penguins in Antarctica.
ii.The day is celebrated by individuals and organisations by sharing the facts about the penguins and images and videos of penguins on social media.
iii.The Penguins including the African and Galapagos are decreasing in population and are becoming endangered because of accidentally being caught in the fishing nets.
iv.Over fishing, invasive species and climatic changes are the greatest threat to the penguins around the world.
Facts about Penguins:
i.Penguins stiff flippers sleek shape and webbed feet allow them to be great swimmers and hunt the krill, squid, and crabs in the underwater.They can swim about 15 miles an hour.
ii.Penguins lay eggs and raise their chicks in the shore and parents take turns in warming the eggs and parents creates unique audio frequency for the chicks to identify them in a large noisy crowd.
iii.Two-third of the penguin species are listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
iv.The Penguin are found in the Antarctic, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, the Falkland Island, and Galapagos Island most of the species are found in the southern hemisphere and only the species of Galapagos is found in the north of the equator.
Common name– Penguins
Scientific name– Spheniscidae
Lifespan– 15 – 20 years
Size– 16 – 45 inches
Diet– Carnivore
Group name– Colony
About ASOC:
Non-governmental organization of a coalition of around 15 NGOs working on preserving Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
Founded– 1978
Chairperson– Jim Barnes
Headquarters– Washington D.C., United States
