World Penguin Day (25/04)

April 25 marks the annual environmental holiday – World Penguin Day, which encourages people to remember the need to preserve the animal diversity of our planet in general and the diversity of its individual regions and representatives in particular.

Among the animal diversity of the Southern Hemisphere there is an unusual bird, whose place in the nature of this region plays a very significant role. Just as a polar bear can be called one of the symbols of the nature of the North Pole, this bird can confidently be called one of the symbols of Antarctica. We are talking, of course, about penguins, the variety of species of which does not change the idea of where they live – only in the open sea of the Southern Hemisphere.

Penguins (lat. Spheniscidae – is a family of flightless seabirds whose members swim and dive well, the only modern one in the order Sphenisciformes. There are 18 extant species of penguins in the family. The largest of them – is the emperor penguin, its height can reach 120 cm, and its weight – is more than 40 kg. The smallest representative of the species – is a small penguin, which is not higher than the knee of an adult, and its weight does not exceed 2.5 kg.

Human extermination of penguins has reached unprecedented proportions since the discovery of Antarctica, but their population has now been restored, although several species of these birds are in danger of extinction. This is largely due to human activity on the islands and coastal mainland zones that are part of the penguins' habitat.

It is these and other problems that contribute to the fact that any public initiatives to attract the attention of representatives of science, as well as international organizations, to the life of penguins are strongly supported by environmentalists and environmental organizations.

Penguins – family of flightless seabirds (Photo: kwest, licensed by Shutterstock.com)

The date of World Penguin Day celebrations falls during the period when penguins migrate to the mainland to mate and hatch eggs. Traditionally, information and educational events dedicated to the date are held all over the world: photo exhibitions, lectures, master classes and film screenings of documentaries about penguins.

It was symbolic that in 2013, on the eve of World Penguin Day, a representative office of the international environmental organization Antarctic Alliance was opened in Russia, with its goals of preserving the biological diversity of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, including through the creation of marine reserves.

By the way, there is another holiday dedicated to these flightless birds – Penguin Awareness Day, celebrated annually on January 20.

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