Animal Facts:
Only a minority of penguin species live in the Antarctic and the surrounding coastal islands. The small Adélie penguin is one of them.
The most striking feature of the Adélie penguins is the white ring around their eyes, which develops when they become an adult. Aside from this, they share the familiar black-and-white tuxedo-like colouring for which penguins are famous.
This colouring – black on the back and white on the belly – was created by nature for a good reason: camouflage. When penguins are in the water and a predator approaches from above, the penguin’s black feathers are hard to see in the black depths of the ocean. And if a predator approaches from beneath, the penguin’s white belly feathers merge into the pale sky, making it equally hard to see them.
This is why they are in most danger when they jump into or out of the water. Leopard seals, the Adélie penguins’ biggest threat, hang around the coast to hunt them. That’s the reason why they stay close together in big groups when going in or out of the water, as this makes it harder for the seals to single out an individual.
But penguins also have a second problem concerning getting out of the water: the tide and global warming. If they jump into the water and the ice ledge they used breaks off or the water level drops, the penguins will be unable to get out of the sea at the same spot. It can take penguins a lot of time and energy to find a suitable place where they can jump onto land again.
But they can’t avoid going into the water because that’s where they hunt. Adélie penguins feed on aquatic creatures like krill, fish and squids.
Water is undoubtedly their favoured element. Penguins are one of the few bird species that cannot fly in the air, but they make up for that by ‘flying’ in the water.
They have dense, not hollow, bones, which makes it easier for them to dive deep down, and they are excellent swimmers, with their torpedo-shaped bodies that can reach a top speed of 75 km per hour.
Meanwhile, on land, Adélie penguins use their feet and flipper-like wings for tobogganing. To this end, they lie on their belly and either slide downhill or push themselves forward. This is an efficient, rapid way of moving that requires much less energy than walking.
And Adélie penguins need to have a proficient method of crossing wide stretches of ice because they are migratory birds, moving from hunting grounds to breeding grounds and back again.
When they come in from the sea, they build nests in large colonies, which can consist of up to 250,000 individuals.
These nests are mounds of stones so they won’t be flooded if the ice melts. The stones are collected painstakingly, and penguins sometimes even steal some from other penguins’ nests.
The Adélie penguins usually mate for life and the female lays two eggs in the nest, which both partners care for. They take turns incubating the eggs while the other one goes out to hunt and eat.
After the chicks hatch, one parent stays with them while the other hunts for food, feeding the chicks by regurgitating fish for them.
Then, after about three weeks, the male and female both leave for the sea to hunt for food. During this time, the chicks gather in large groups for safety. These groups are called crèches.
Young Adélie penguins only start to swim and hunt for themselves once their downy feathers have been replaced by the waterproof adult plumage.
This plumage is periodically replaced in a moulting process that is called a catastrophic moult. Unlike most birds, the penguin doesn’t just lose a few feathers at a time; it loses them all at once. They then have to wait until their new feathers grow before they can go into the water again.
Apart from being waterproof, their plumage also effectively protects them from the cold by storing insulating air chambers between the feathers.
Additionally, Adélie penguins have a thick layer of fat, called blubber, under their skin, which helps them to keep warm. This all works so well that a careless penguin can even overheat on a sunny day.
What’s always only a few degrees above freezing is their feet, though, which is the reason that those don’t stick to the ice. This is possible because the blood flowing into the feet is cooled down, while the blood travelling upwards towards their organs is warmed up.
They also have another feature that is perfectly adapted to their icy environment. Since the Adélie penguin has little access to freshwater sources, it drinks both from freshwater pools when ashore and from the salty sea. To this end, they have special glands underneath their eyes that filter salt from their body before it can travel into their organs. The salt is then expelled through their nasal passages and drips from their bills.
Some spiritual meanings:
With its black-and-white plumage, the penguin is well camouflaged.
Do you feel too exposed or unsafe in your life? Do you fear being attacked?
Or are you too daring and forget to take necessary precautions?
Create a secure environment and install healthy boundaries. You can then allow yourself to be more open and to express yourself.
The water is the element of dreams, additional to emotions and the subconscious, and the penguin jumps into and out of it repeatedly.
Having the penguin as your spirit animal means that you might be able to move effortlessly between the physical and spiritual planes.
Do you take the time to dive deep within yourself? Do you allow your emotions to arise? Are your dreams holding important messages?
Or do you ignore what’s trying to come to the surface?
Also, you might be gifted at lucid dreaming and astral travelling.
The penguin is one of the rare birds that can’t fly in the air. But its ability to ‘fly’ in the water is unmatched. You don’t have to do things the same way as others. Find your own style while adapting to your surroundings. By doing this, you can ride the waves of success.
The Adélie penguins travel over great distances.
This means you have great endurance and are resilient, being able to survive the worst conditions.
Are you aware of your strengths? Do you believe in your abilities?
Or do you need to work on some limiting beliefs that prevent you from doing so?
Trust yourself and know that you are capable of navigating through life easily.
The penguin spends several weeks hatching its eggs by sitting on them.
Do you take enough time to nurture your ideas and projects so that they hatch?
Or do you act too rashly and try to put them out before they are ready?
Your ideas might come to fruition sooner if you sit on them for a while and think things through.
Many birds only lose a few feathers at a time when they moult. Not so the penguin, which moults all at once.
Are you going through big changes right now? Do you feel ready for those?
Or are you wary of creating the necessary change in your life?
Call on the penguin when you feel that you can’t keep up.
The Adélie penguins are social animals, taking advantage of their great numbers.
They thus teach us about community.
Are you involved in your local community? Do you have a social circle where you feel you belong?
Or are you too isolated and need more connection with other people?
You might also benefit from living in a community setting.
If you want to read up on more spirit animals or want to learn more about spiritual topics in general, pick up a copy of my book “Willow and Strix – A spiritual journey” ©, available as a paperback or ebook (free for kindle unlimited users) US – UK – DE and in other countries
A. Wakan's Spirit Animals 