SWIFT SWIMMERS
Rockhopper
penguin
C
an you swim? Would you like
to stay in the water for days?
You could if you were a rockhopper
penguin!
Animals
What Animals Need
Rockhopper penguins are great
swimmers. They swim fast to catch
food to eat. Rockhoppers stay in
the sea for days, hunting for shrimp
and fish. They
only come up to
the surface when
they need air.
When they are not
swimming, they live
on rocky shores.
Atlantic
Ocean
Pacific
Ocean
South Pole
Antarctica
File
A group of rockhopper penguins
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www.sciencea-z.com
Indian
Ocean
Investigation File
t
Where Rockhopper
Penguins Live
Rockhopper penguins
live near the South Pole.
The areas where they
live are shown in yellow.
A baby rockhopper
penguin with its parent
Credits: left: © David Cobb/Alamy
right: © NaturePL/Superstock
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Thirsty Penguins
Are you thirsty? How about a big glass
of salt water? Yuck!
Most animals, including you, must drink
fresh water. But penguins can drink salt
water or fresh water. That must be handy
during their long hunting trips at sea!
Math
Moment
Rockhopper penguins can jump 3 times their
height! If you were able to jump 3 times your height,
how high could you jump?
Home, Sweet Home
Rockhopper penguins live on rocky shores
near the South Pole. Other kinds of birds
eat penguin eggs. But the rockhoppers
are mostly safe on land. The ocean is not
as safe. Seals and sharks eat the penguins.
water air
Penguins Porpoising
swimming
jumping
breathing
diving
swimming
Penguins can’t breathe underwater. Whoosh! They leap in and out of the water to get air.
This is called porpoising (POR-pus-ing).
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www.sciencea-z.com
Investigation File
Animals } What Animals Need } Rockhopper Penguin
Rockhopper penguins have red eyes.
Their feathers look like big eyelashes.
Credits: both: © Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures
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