Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Salt gland of a bird and its inner structure Magellanic penguin. The avian salt gland has two main ducts: a medial and a lateral. Salt gland activations occurs from increased osmolarity in the blood, stimulating the hypothalamic information processing, sending a signal through the parasympathetic nerve activating vasodilation, the release of hormones (acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal ...
Salt glands also play a major role in the excretion of excess salts. In aquatic birds such as the Adelie penguin, nasal salt glands excrete an extremely concentrated sodium chloride solution, reducing the load on their kidneys. [49] These excretions are crucial in the maintenance of Antarctic ecosystems.
Magellanic penguins feed in the water, preying on small pelagic fish, hagfish, [5] cuttlefish, squid, krill, and other crustaceans, and ingest sea water with their prey. Their salt-excreting gland rids the salt from their bodies. Adult penguins can regularly dive to depths of 20 to 50 m (66 to 164 ft) deep in order to forage for prey.
They can drink salt water because their supraorbital gland filters excess salt from the bloodstream. [ 56 ] [ 57 ] [ 58 ] The salt is excreted in a concentrated fluid from the nasal passages. The great auk of the Northern Hemisphere, now extinct, was superficially similar to penguins, and the word penguin was originally used for that bird ...
Gentoo penguins can reach a length of 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in), [19] [20] making them the third-largest species of penguin after the emperor penguin and the king penguin. Males have a maximum weight around 8.5 kg (19 lb) just before moulting and a minimum weight of about 4.9 kg (11 lb) just before mating.
The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a penguin endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It is the only penguin found north of the equator. [4] Most inhabit Fernandina Island and the west coast of Isabela Island. [5] The cool waters of the Humboldt and Cromwell Currents allow it to survive despite the tropical latitude.
Over 1216 penguins oiled. [8] 1972 South Africa Dassen Island Unknown African 4000 penguins impacted. [8] 1972 South Africa Ystervark Point Oswego Guardian-Texanita collision: African 500 penguins impacted. [8] 1973 Chile: Guamblin Island: Napier oil spill Magellanic: Impacts unknown. Penguins in vicinity. [15] 1974 Chile Strait of Magellan ...
Penguins also have them in the flippers and nasal passages. Seabirds distill seawater using countercurrent exchange in a so-called salt gland with a rete mirabile. The gland secretes highly concentrated brine stored near the nostrils above the beak. The bird then "sneezes" the brine out.