Sunshine, July and Daily Tangents #17 Penguins
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| Original painting by Buddy Summer |
Hello and welcome to day 17 of Sunshine, July and Daily Tangents.
Today's word is Penguins and wanting to have a bit of a change from digital art I decided to paint a pair. This couple, I've chosen, are a Mumma and baby pair as the cuddle given by a strong and protective being reminds me of the love from a mum. I painted an actual photograph and I thought it was very cute that both had their eyes closed, settling into their own little world. How cosy...
Full disclosure I'm not too clued up about penguins and one of the few references I have of them is of Benedict Cumberbatch on Graham Norton pronouncing 'Penguins' wrong in a documentary. I mean... you can work out what he's trying to say and the screen displays penguins so I think it's alright. I love that he even got as far as featuring in a penguin animation after this documentary.
I have, luckily- I might add, seen Penguins in real life, a handful of times. I've visited a zoo where you could walk under a tunnel and see them underwater. My memory of them isn't too vivid but funnily enough, they feature in my day to day life; I have a rubber which is a small penguin and coasters dotted around the house. They have a feature in my life but I wouldn't say that I know a lot about them. I know they are cute and look very cuddly and the basics but any more than that is a miss. That's why I sat down to watch the documentary: David Attenboroughs Bachelor King to find out more about the cosy animals...
1) It's the male penguins that guard the egg and keep them warm. They keep their unhatched baby under the fold of their stomach and on top of their feet.
2) Penguins are "devoted to the business of breeding". They are all either in a couple or fighting over a love interest.
In one moment, the male penguin catches the eye of a possible mate, however, loses her interest after failing to resist the urge to scratch his arm. This made me smile as I could see the human in the animals.
3) Like a breakout of spots as a teenager, this same bachelor penguin started to moult, which meant that he was losing his feathers to make way for new ones. He couldn't enter the water for these two weeks because of this. Once his feathers were all shiny and new, he was able to find himself food.
4) Fresh with this new coat and newfound confidence, the male penguin entices his love interest with a new walk. A good sign is when he bows his head slightly to her and she copies.
5) Penguins huddle together and stay in their large groups- a very cute sight that appears like a community- or rather, is a community.
6) The Penguin couples are a team whereby the male looks after the egg whilst the lady goes away to collect food.
7) 55 days is what it takes for an egg to grow from when it is set by the feet of Dad.
8) It takes a very long time to collect fish, which leaves Dad to lose weight whilst he stays with the egg. The mum travels determinedly for thousands of miles to find food for her family.
9) Penguin couples can recognise the voice of each other; even in a huge crowd.
10) After Baby is born, mum can feed with the fish she has collected. This is the first time the mum can look after her baby under her stomach and above her feet. The roles of the parents switch and it's now the dads turn to collect the food for their family.
To feed her baby, the mum opens her beak for Baby to take the food from her mouth. When there isn't much food at all, Baby searches deep into the beak, kind of like the mum is saying: "look, this is all I can give you. I'm trying to give you everything..."
I think it's really interesting how in this scenario, it's the dad that has the baby for the duration of the 'brewing' and the mum is away from the baby. I really like how they are a clear team.
I've never really watched documentaries about nature and wildlife before but I can see why so many people love watching documentaries narrated by David Attenborough. He adds human elements to it as if you are watching the life of friends or neighbours take place. He's shedding light on the animals we share the Earth with. It's really lovely and I'm sure I will love watching more.
As ever, Thank you for reading day 17 of my blog project! I will see you again tomorrow with day 18: Peach.
All my love,
Buddy xx
Bibliography:
- David Attenboroughs Bachelor King. (2011). [video] Antarctic Island.
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