![The Emperor Penguin and his unbelievable Patience
An animal that demonstrates amazing resolve, patience and devotion in caring for its eggs is the emperor penguin. It lives in the South Pole which is a very harsh environment.
Thousands of these birds (estimated on an average at 25,000), undertake a journey of hundreds of kilometers to choose a suitable place for mating. This journey begins in March and April (the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere). Then the female lays a single egg in May or June. The male penguin does not build a nest for the egg because there is nothing in his ice-covered environment with which to build a nest, but he does not leave the egg to the mercy of the ice, because the egg could freeze as soon as it is exposed to the cold surface of the ice. Hence, the emperor penguin carries the egg on his feet. The male draws close to the female for a few hours after she lays the single egg, pressing his chest against hers and lifting the egg with his feet; both of them are very careful not to let the egg touch the ice. The male puts his toes beneath the egg and then he raises his toes so that the egg will roll toward him. This action is done very calmly and carefully so as to avoid breaking the egg. Finally, he gathers the egg beneath his lower feathers to provide it with the necessary warmth.
Laying the egg uses up most of the energy in the female’s body, so she goes to collect food and regain her strength while the male stays to take care of the egg. The period of watching the egg is very difficult for the emperor penguin, compared to all other types of birds, since it requires considerable patience on the part of the male, which stands without moving for a long time. If he does need to move, he does not move more than a few meters, shuffling on his feet.
When wanting to rest, the bird leans on its tail as if it were a third foot and raises its toes straight up, so that the egg will not touch the ice.
It is worth mentioning that the temperature in the feet that are covered with the lower feathers is more than eighty degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding environment; hence, the egg is not affected by the harsh climate.
The environment gets even harsher as winter advances, until the storm winds reach speeds of 120 to 160 kilometers per hour. Despite that, the male spends months without eating or moving unless necessary, in a rare example of sacrifice for the sake of the family. The entire community also demonstrates a great deal of cooperation in resisting the intense cold, as the penguins stand next to one another, placing their beaks on their chests, thus making their backs straight and forming a circle of feathers which resist the cold. This is done with a great deal of care and precision without any conflict arising among the thousands of birds all standing close together. They remain like that for many months, in an image of amazing cooperation.
After sixty days of enduring the harsh conditions, the egg begins to hatch, and the male continues with his devotion for the sake of the young, not having eaten at all since he first began to sit on the egg.
It is well-known that the newly hatched penguin is a weak creature that requires continuous nourishment and care. Hence, the male secretes from his gullet a liquid like milk, which it feeds to the young chick. It might be expected that this irrational creature would leave this egg and think only of escaping from the harsh cold, but the kindness of Allah, the Exalted, toward this creature makes it take care of its egg and chick and demonstrate this brilliant example of devotion, cooperation and sacrifice.
[from “Scientific Miracles in the Oceans & Animals” by “Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad”, published by Darussalam, 2010]
#Darussalam #Penguin](https://scontent-a-mxp.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/s526x395/10403145_554637841336002_6252488311769963296_n.png?oh=f63d34cba6baedf34edb5ef11d2e6ca1&oe=54B810D6)
The Emperor Penguin and his unbelievable Patience
An animal that demonstrates amazing resolve, patience and devotion in caring for its eggs is the emperor penguin. It lives in the South Pole which is a very harsh environment.
Thousands of these birds (estimated on an average at 25,000), undertake a journey of hundreds of kilometers to choose a suitable place for mating. This journey begins in March and April (the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere). Then the female lays a single egg in May or June. The male penguin does not build a nest for the egg because there is nothing in his ice-covered environment with which to build a nest, but he does not leave the egg to the mercy of the ice, because the egg could freeze as soon as it is exposed to the cold surface of the ice. Hence, the emperor penguin carries the egg on his feet. The male draws close to the female for a few hours after she lays the single egg, pressing his chest against hers and lifting the egg with his feet; both of them are very careful not to let the egg touch the ice. The male puts his toes beneath the egg and then he raises his toes so that the egg will roll toward him. This action is done very calmly and carefully so as to avoid breaking the egg. Finally, he gathers the egg beneath his lower feathers to provide it with the necessary warmth.
Laying the egg uses up most of the energy in the female’s body, so she goes to collect food and regain her strength while the male stays to take care of the egg. The period of watching the egg is very difficult for the emperor penguin, compared to all other types of birds, since it requires considerable patience on the part of the male, which stands without moving for a long time. If he does need to move, he does not move more than a few meters, shuffling on his feet.
When wanting to rest, the bird leans on its tail as if it were a third foot and raises its toes straight up, so that the egg will not touch the ice.
It is worth mentioning that the temperature in the feet that are covered with the lower feathers is more than eighty degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding environment; hence, the egg is not affected by the harsh climate.
The environment gets even harsher as winter advances, until the storm winds reach speeds of 120 to 160 kilometers per hour. Despite that, the male spends months without eating or moving unless necessary, in a rare example of sacrifice for the sake of the family. The entire community also demonstrates a great deal of cooperation in resisting the intense cold, as the penguins stand next to one another, placing their beaks on their chests, thus making their backs straight and forming a circle of feathers which resist the cold. This is done with a great deal of care and precision without any conflict arising among the thousands of birds all standing close together. They remain like that for many months, in an image of amazing cooperation.
After sixty days of enduring the harsh conditions, the egg begins to hatch, and the male continues with his devotion for the sake of the young, not having eaten at all since he first began to sit on the egg.
It is well-known that the newly hatched penguin is a weak creature that requires continuous nourishment and care. Hence, the male secretes from his gullet a liquid like milk, which it feeds to the young chick. It might be expected that this irrational creature would leave this egg and think only of escaping from the harsh cold, but the kindness of Allah, the Exalted, toward this creature makes it take care of its egg and chick and demonstrate this brilliant example of devotion, cooperation and sacrifice.
Thousands of these birds (estimated on an average at 25,000), undertake a journey of hundreds of kilometers to choose a suitable place for mating. This journey begins in March and April (the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere). Then the female lays a single egg in May or June. The male penguin does not build a nest for the egg because there is nothing in his ice-covered environment with which to build a nest, but he does not leave the egg to the mercy of the ice, because the egg could freeze as soon as it is exposed to the cold surface of the ice. Hence, the emperor penguin carries the egg on his feet. The male draws close to the female for a few hours after she lays the single egg, pressing his chest against hers and lifting the egg with his feet; both of them are very careful not to let the egg touch the ice. The male puts his toes beneath the egg and then he raises his toes so that the egg will roll toward him. This action is done very calmly and carefully so as to avoid breaking the egg. Finally, he gathers the egg beneath his lower feathers to provide it with the necessary warmth.
Laying the egg uses up most of the energy in the female’s body, so she goes to collect food and regain her strength while the male stays to take care of the egg. The period of watching the egg is very difficult for the emperor penguin, compared to all other types of birds, since it requires considerable patience on the part of the male, which stands without moving for a long time. If he does need to move, he does not move more than a few meters, shuffling on his feet.
When wanting to rest, the bird leans on its tail as if it were a third foot and raises its toes straight up, so that the egg will not touch the ice.
It is worth mentioning that the temperature in the feet that are covered with the lower feathers is more than eighty degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding environment; hence, the egg is not affected by the harsh climate.
The environment gets even harsher as winter advances, until the storm winds reach speeds of 120 to 160 kilometers per hour. Despite that, the male spends months without eating or moving unless necessary, in a rare example of sacrifice for the sake of the family. The entire community also demonstrates a great deal of cooperation in resisting the intense cold, as the penguins stand next to one another, placing their beaks on their chests, thus making their backs straight and forming a circle of feathers which resist the cold. This is done with a great deal of care and precision without any conflict arising among the thousands of birds all standing close together. They remain like that for many months, in an image of amazing cooperation.
After sixty days of enduring the harsh conditions, the egg begins to hatch, and the male continues with his devotion for the sake of the young, not having eaten at all since he first began to sit on the egg.
It is well-known that the newly hatched penguin is a weak creature that requires continuous nourishment and care. Hence, the male secretes from his gullet a liquid like milk, which it feeds to the young chick. It might be expected that this irrational creature would leave this egg and think only of escaping from the harsh cold, but the kindness of Allah, the Exalted, toward this creature makes it take care of its egg and chick and demonstrate this brilliant example of devotion, cooperation and sacrifice.
[from “Scientific Miracles in the Oceans & Animals” by “Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad”, published by Darussalam, 2010]
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