Miscellaneous

Did You Know?

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Gentoo penguins propose to
their life mates with a pebble.
It really is all about the rock!

© ebird.com

Male gentoo penguins present a smooth pebble to a female as a marriage proposal. If the female accepts the pebble, she adds it to her nest, and the pair continues to collect pebbles to build the nest. If she rejects it, she might ignore it or throw it away, and the male will look for another female. This pebble gift is part of their courtship ritual, with the nest eventually holding their eggs and serving as a crucial home for raising their chicks 

Gentoo penguins are the third-largest penguin species, recognized by their distinctive white head patches and bright orange-red beaks. They are found on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. They primarily eat krill, fish, and squid, effective at foraging in the ocean by diving to great depths. Gentoo penguins breed in colonies in snow-free areas, and raise two chicks each year. The total breeding population is estimated to be over 600,000 birds.

Pebble nests can be quite large …. 8” high and 10” in diameter. The stones are jealously guarded, and their ownership can be the subject of noisy disputes and physical attacks. Two eggs are laid, both weighing around 4.6 oz. The parents share incubation, changing duty daily. The eggs hatch after 35 days and the chicks remain in the nests for an additional 30 days before joining other chicks in the colony.

A Penguins Guide to Romance 🐧


Now, wasn’t that romantic?

You heard it here first, kids! See you on the flip side. 😎

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All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

34 thoughts on “Did You Know?”

  5. Awww some, …Nancy, … I love learning something new, … and everybody said jokes about the rock, … size et cetera,… so I’ll just say I love penguins too, …🐧. ( now it looks like I’ve decapitated one., … I didn’t honest!! ) …💙

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  13. Well, Nancy, this was very interesting — and yes, romantic. But I am kind of wondering what it is that motivated you to post this, well, sort of out of the blue lesson on the mating habits of the Gentoo penguins?

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    1. Funny you should ask! I’m thinking of adopting a penguin now that Bill and I are no longer babysitting. We’ll keep the house very cold, which will certainly be a drain on our wallet but it’ll be worth it. However we’ll save money by not having to heat the pool! And of course Bill will have to keep everything he catches while fishing so we can feed our little feathered friend. Good thing we have a second freezer in the basement! Maybe we’ll get two penguins and start our own penguin colony right here in New York. It’ll certainly be an adventure, don’t you think? If you have any good penguin names in mind, please let me know. I wonder if I can train them to use the kitty litter box? Now that’s a thought! I’ll be sure to post daily photos of my progress.

      FYI – Did You Know? is an on-and-off blog I’ve been writing strictly for fun since July. No other reason or motivation behind it.

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