Adopt a Penguin

You and 99 other donors can adopt a penguin and save it from going extinct!

250 points

230 votes

Purchased: 1490 times

Added: 11/20/08

Donation details Help Save Penguins from a Warming World

With their tuxedo-like plumage and charming good looks, penguins have become big stars on the Big Screen. But behind the glitz and glamour is a tragic story: Penguin populations have decreased by nearly 80 percent in some areas, and most scientists agree that rising temperatures due to global warming are the primary culprit.

Your donation will enable Defenders of Wildlife to work with automakers and members of Congress to raise the standard fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, promote increased reliance on alternative fuels, and save penguins and other imperiled wildlife.

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Penguins
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About Us
Founded in 1947, Defenders of Wildlife is one of the country’s leaders in science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation. We stand out in our commitment to saving imperiled wildlife and championing the Endangered Species Act, the landmark law that protects them.

Mission
Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities.

Goals
Learn more about the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, our sister organization, that protects wildlife and natural habitat through advocacy and political campaigns.

DefendersActionFund.orgWe work to protect and restore America’s native wildlife, safeguard habitat, resolve conflicts, work across international borders and educate and mobilize the public.

From the President
“Our nation’s wildlife and wild places are precious gifts that enrich our planet and sustain us. But nearly everywhere, natural habitats—home to all kinds of creatures—are being destroyed to make way for new shopping malls, roads and housing developments. Meanwhile, in the halls of Congress, some politicians are eager to open public lands to oil drilling. Others are pressing to unravel the Endangered Species Act, our country’s pre-eminent wildlife conservation law. And beyond our borders, millions of animals are being exploited or killed illegally each year—becoming pets, food or souvenirs. With so many threats, concerned citizens are coming to the defense of America’s wildlife, and Defenders of Wildlife is proud to be a leader in the fight to preserve our nation’s animals and plants for generations to come. - Rodger Schlickeisen, President

Funding
People who care about wildlife generously offer their support to Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders of Wildlife raised more than $35 million in fiscal year 2007, an increase of nearly $3 million from the previous year. This is a result of continued generous support from a number of sources—including a 13 percent increase in grants and contributions. In addition, law firms, media outlets and others freely donated their time to help Defenders protect native wildlife and habitats. Whether in the field, the courts or on Capitol Hill, these increased financial resources allowed Defenders to expand its programs and public education.

Penguin

Order: Sphenisciformes

Penguins are birds that have adapted very well to life in the water. Their wing bones are flipper-like and, while useless for flying, are extremely well-suited to swimming. All penguins are “countershaded”, which means that they are darkly colored on their backs and white on their bellies. Countershading helps to camouflage penguins as they swim through the water; predators looking up from below a penguin have trouble seeing their white bellies against the light surface of the water, while predators looking down from above have trouble seeing their black backs against the darkness of the deep water.

Size

The fairy penguin is the smallest of the penguin species at 16 inches tall. It weighs about 2.2 pounds. The largest penguin species is the emperor penguin, which is about 3.7 feet tall and weighs between 60 and 90 pounds.
Lifespan 15 to 20 years depending on the species.

Diet

Staples Krill, fish and squid.
In general, penguins closer to the equator eat more fish and penguins closer to Antarctica eat more squid and krill.

Population

The penguin species with the highest population is the Macaroni penguin with 11,654,000 pairs. The species with the lowest population is the endangered Galapagos penguin with between 6,000-15,000 individuals.

Range

Penguins can be found on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere from the tropical Galapagos Islands (the Galapagos penguin) off South America to Antarctica (the emperor penguin). Larger penguin species are found in colder climates where their large body mass enables them to cope with the conditions, while smaller penguins inhabit warmer climates.

Behavior

Penguins can spend up to 75% of their lives in the water. They do all of their hunting in the water. Their prey can be found within 60 feet of the surface, so penguins have no need to swim in deep water. They catch prey in their beaks and swallow them whole as they swim. Some species only leave the water for molting and breeding.

Penguins are social birds. Many species feed, swim and nest in groups. During the breeding season, some species form large groups, or “rookeries”, that include thousands of penguins. Each penguin has a distinct call, allowing individuals to find their mate and their chicks even in large groups.

Mating Season varies depending on the species, though most breed during spring and summer.

Gestation Varies from 1 month-66 days depending on the species.

Number of offspring King and emperor penguins lay one egg. All other species of penguin lay two eggs.

Threats

Unfortunately, the earth's temperatures are rising at an alarming rate. In Antarctica, home to the famous Emperor Penguin, the annual sea ice melting season has extended by as much as 3 weeks in recent decades. Less ice means less habitat and the loss of critical food, such as shrimp-like krill, which depend on polar ice to reproduce.

Penguin populations have decreased by nearly 80 percent in some areas, and the majority of scientists agree that rising temperature due to climate change is the primary culprit. Defenders of Wildlife is working with leaders on Capitol Hill and elsewhere to stop global warming and save penguins and their habitat.

In addition to global warming and natural predation by sharks, orcas, leopard seals, sea lions and fur seals, other threats to penguins include impacts on habitat due to oil spills, pesticides, construction, destruction of habitat due to introduced herbivores, competition with humans for food and illegal egg harvesting.

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Adopt a Penguin

250 points