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How Penguins Protect Themselves from Orcas
  • Since most penguins live far away from humans, they don't need to protect themselves from people. Their main predators are the leopard seal, killer whale, and seabirds such as the Skua. Luckily, penguins have been endowed with attributes that enable them to protect themselves.

    To protect themselves from killer whales, penguins use their agility and their feet. Because penguins are small and very deft with their flippers, they can swim very fast, dodging killer whales, which, though fast, cannot turn very quickly. Zig-zagging through the water, penguins try to make it to land, where they quickly hop onto their feet. They know that killer whales cannot reach them once on land.

How Penguins Protect Themselves from Leopard Seals
  • There is not much penguins can do to protect themselves from leopard seals except to avoid them. Although penguins do bite occasionally, they don't have teeth, and a beak-bite from a penguin certainly won't keep a leopard seal from eating it for lunch. Therefore, to avoid leopard seals, penguins stick together and remain alert. If one penguin notices a seal, it makes a commotion to alert the other penguins. They huddle closely together and hope that the leopard seal won't find a straggler.

How Penguins Protect Themselves from Skuas
  • Sea birds tend to be very fond of penguin eggs, so penguins also need to watch the skies for predators. The emperor penguin keeps its egg on its feet, tucked underneath a flap of skin. Other penguins put all of their eggs together, and then a ring of adult penguins stands guard around the eggs. Unfortunately, young penguins who are inexperienced with breeding sometimes forget to keep a constant eye on their eggs, and the Skua has an opportunity to steal the eggs. Vigilance is a penguin's best defense against egg stealers.

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13y ago

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