	AllExperts > Wild Animals
	Search

About Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Expertise
I'm an evolutionary biologist with a passion for animals. Ask about natural history, behavior, ecology, evolution. PLEASE NOTE:

If you have found an "orphaned" wild animal or bird:
Please don't waste time asking questions on the internet, as the answers may come too late. DO NOT FEED THE ANIMAL, and DO NOT HANDLE IT unless it is in imminent danger. (Many wild "orphans" are not orphans at all!) If you are absolutely sure it is orphaned, keep it warm and quiet, and find a LICENSED WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR HERE. Don't try to raise the baby yourself. Many a well-intentioned rescuer will do more harm than good, especially with baby birds and baby rabbits.

I.D. OF MYSTERY ANIMALS
Without geographic location, time of day and habitat, I can't help. A clear picture is always best.

I.D. OF MYSTERY ANIMAL SOUNDS
It's impossible for me to I.D. an animal call without hearing it myself.

COMPARATIVE STRENGTHS
I'm not an expert on comparative strengths of different animals (more complicated than you might think!) nor bite forces.

FIGHTING ANIMALS
I refuse to answer "Which of these two animals--X or X--would win in a fight?".

These hypothetical matchups range from impossible (Grizzly Bears and Gorillas don't even occupy the same continent.) to ridiculous (Someone asked me "Who would win a fight between a Great White Shark and a tiger?").

The vast majority of animals--even the fierce and powerful--are not as warlike as Homo sapiens, and it's childish to project our aggressiveness onto them.

Experience
I have been the fortunate caregiver to a group of Black-tailed Jackrabbits rescued from the Miami International Airport, and not releasable in this area because they are not native. I also have rehabbed and released Eastern Cottontails, and am in contact with many very experienced wildlife rescuers who regularly handle injured or orphaned rabbits and hares.

Organizations
House Rabbit Society

Publications
Exotic DVM journal

Education/Credentials
I have a Ph.D. in Biology, with main areas of expertise in evolutionary biology, genetics, botany, and ecology.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Wild Animals > Penguin egg incubation

Wild Animals - Penguin egg incubation

Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 11/1/2009

Question
i am doing a project on penguins, and am trying to figure out why male penguins incubate the eggs as well? and is it only emperor and king males that do this? is it instinctual only, or just to give the mom a break? thanks.

madison

Answer
Dear Madison,

A great many bird species have males that contribute to parental care, if not in incubating the eggs, then at least in guarding the babies and helping with feeding the nestlings. Male incubation in penguins is an extension of this trait, since it's unlikely that a single parent bird could survive long enough without eating (which is what happens when they incubate) to sit on the egg until it hatches. It's a matter of survival for all three: mother, father and baby.

Mated pairs of all penguin species take turns incubating the eggs, though none but the Emperor Penguin take it to the time extremes you saw in "March of the Penguins." Usually each partner takes care of the eggs for only a few days at a time. Here's a good reference which has other good references you can use:

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/penguins/hatching.html

Bottom line is that this instinctive behavior evolved because it was adaptive: the individual penguins that had a genetic instinct to share incubation duties had a higher survival rate than those who didn't, and so those types of incubation-instinct genes were passed on in greater proportion to the next generation over and over until all penguins had this genetic make up. This is how natural selection works.

Good luck on your project, and I hope this helps get you started.

Dana

Add to this Answer Ask a Question