Question

The penguin lives in the cold regions. The adaptations that help to survive in these regions is/are
A. Flippers and webbed foot to help in swimming
B. Thick layer of fat under the skin
C. Huddling of the penguins to keep the body war,
D. All of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: Penguins are small flightless birds found mostly in the southern hemisphere mostly and rarely in the northern hemisphere with the largest living species being The Emperor Penguin species. They are mostly found in the icy aquatic environment due to the body modification they possess that help them survive there.

Complete answer:
Penguins have a total 18 species out of which some live in temperate islands, some on hot islands. They have a short height, stocky appearance which black on black and white colour below. They spend months in the sea and come offshore only for the purpose of breeding and molting. Fiord land crested penguins grow barnacles on their tails that represent that they have been in the sea for a very long time. They are excellent swimmers due to their efficient paddle like flippers that help them to do so. They hunch their heads into their shoulders to maintain the streamlined body shape and reduce any kind of drag during swimming and their tail helping in steering. They have several adaptation that help them to survive in icy aquatic environments –
They have glands below their eyes to remove excess salt present in their body. With the help of these glands they can drink sea water and have no side effects of it.
They have overlapping feathers which create an impenetrable surface for the wind along with that these feathers provide waterproofing which helps penguins to survive in critical Antarctic habitats.
They keep their flippers tucked close to their bodies to prevent any kind of heat loss.
They have a thick skin and a layer of blubber under their skin that keeps them warm.
Huddling with their friends is very common which is done to keep their bodies warm during freezing temperatures.
Dark colour feathers present on their body absorb heat from the sun and keep them warm.
Their webbed feet help them in swimming but also while walking on icy surfaces to hold a grip.

So the answer for this question is Option D – All of the above.

Note:
The circulatory system of penguins is also modified to conserve and release body heat to maintain their body temperatures like the heat is conserved by the transfer of heat from the blood flowing to flippers and legs to the blood flowing back to the heart.