Penguin facts: If you’re the kind of person who likes to get close to animals in the wild, penguins are a great chance for you to do just that! Since penguins have no land predators, they are very comfortable with people, and a lot of times they will walk right up to people, hardly getting nervous at all until they get very close!

Of course, there is one problem with this plan:

If you want to run into penguins, you’ll have to go pretty far south! Most penguins live down near Antarctica, on the bottom of the world. Even though penguins are birds, they do not fly. While most birds have “hollow bones” that make them lighter for flight, penguins have solid bones. These solid bones are important, as penguins do most of their hunting in the ocean! Penguins feed on fish, and while they might look silly waddling around on land, penguins are sleek and graceful in the water. Some penguins can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes, and when they swim they appear to “fly” in the water. Of course, penguins are in danger of predators when they swim, because seals and killer whales find them to be a tasty snack. But if you run into them on land, you’re likely to have a brand new friend!

Online lessons for kids: dinolingo.com