All animals need to drink water to survive, and penguins are no different. However, it is a little more complicated than just chugging Aquafina or bottled water for these unique birds.
Penguins’ ability to survive in cold climates is made possible by their feathers and the H2O they drink.
How do they drink fresh water when all around them is saltwater?
This post will discuss how penguins drink water, not in the literal sense of how they make the liquid go down their gullets but instead how they get the water.
Here’s How Penguins Drink Water:
Penguins drink the same way birds do, but it has some quirks. For example, when swimming, penguins will often swallow water along with whatever fish or other prey they’re catching. While in fresh bodies of water, they will also drink while swimming. So penguins can drink both salt and fresh water.
Penguins like drinking rainwater or overflow from lakes and streams. Unlike most birds, penguins don’t have beaks adapted for drinking.
Penguins hold the liquid in place using their tongue and lower jaw while they swallow.
At times, when they are not catching prey, penguins do drink by suction or “gulping” seawater when they plunge into the sea.
What if there is no water and everything is covered in snow?
Like humans, dehydration is prohibited, so they’ll eat snow that melts in their mouths to quench their thirst.
Do Penguins Drink Salt Water?
Penguins absolutely drink salt water! Most penguins live in areas close to the sea, where freshwater can be tough to find. However, they are highly adapted for aquatic living.
Their trait of being able to drink salt water gives them a tremendous advantage in surviving in the places they live. Although it is a last resort, it is not uncommon for them to do so.
They can do this because a special gland abounds in their eye sockets that extract excess salt from their system.
The salty fluid is rejected through the nasal passages making their tears very, very salty! Still, for their health, better out than in.
How does a penguin turn salt water into freshwater?
This question is tricky because a penguin does not convert saltwater into freshwater. Instead, they can remove the salt they drink from their bodies. Penguins remove salt from their bodies through their tears.
Penguins drink a lot of seawater because they spend much of their time in the ocean or if it’s the only available water. Moreover, penguins don’t pee as their goal is to conserve their water levels.
So, how do they get rid of the extra salt?
The secret lies in a special organ just above their eyes called the supraorbital gland. This organ filters the salt out of the water as it’s sipped through their beak.
For us humans, our kidneys do the job of filtering extra salt from our bodies then excreted through our urine. But for penguins, it’s this supraorbital gland that does this job.
You may spot a penguin appearing to have a runny nose. But never think the penguin has a cold.
It’s the filtered salt dripping out of their beak in a liquid form called brine. That’s why it sometimes looks as if a penguin has a runny nose.
Penguins shake their heads to get rid of the drops and salt off their snout. And sometimes, they sneeze them out.
This process helps a penguin survive in living conditions containing a high amount of saltwater.
Do Penguins Need Water To Survive?
Every breathing creature must have water to survive, and penguins are no exception. Like humans, they avoid dehydration at all costs. That’s why they drink either fresh or saltwater.
Penguins love to drink water! Even penguins outside the Antarctic, such as the little blue penguin of Australia, drink water from pools, lakes, or at the beach.
Without water, penguins won’t be able to live. One more thing, they get their food in the water.
For penguins, water is crucial and a way of life! What differentiates them from other creatures is their ability to drink saltwater.
Sources:
https://animals.mom.com/penguins-drink-3006.html
https://www.allthingsnature.org/can-a-penguin-drink-salt-water.htm
