Penguin Stuffed Animal & Facts

If you have ever taken a good look at a penguin stuffed animal, you know that they are quite comparable to all other plush toys in terms of softness, cuddle factor, and overall cuteness. A penguin stuffed animal is difficult to resist at the best of times so why resist at all when you could quite easily become the owner of something so adorable?



The four species of penguin – Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap, and Gentoo - that call Antarctica home, are all under serious pressure when it comes to finding food and having babies. According to a report called "Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change," filed by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in 2007, global warming and over fishing are the key culprits when it comes to the ongoing survival of Antarctic penguin populations. For the first time in their lives, these birds are having to face unprecedented battles to adapt to a world in the Antarctic Peninsula that is warming up fives times faster than the average rate of global warming. The Southern Ocean, has warmed as far down as 9000 feet. The sea ice, which is ice that is formed from sea water, now covers less than 40% of an area off the West Antarctic Peninsula than it did some 26 years ago. As a result, the chinstrap penguins main source of food – krill – has seen a large decrease in its numbers. And, the chinstrap population has been reduced by as much as 30-66% in some colonies as having less food has made it all the more tough for young penguins to survive.



The Gentoo penguins are also struggling; with overfishing of their main sources of food killing off once abundant fish supplies, they are now forced to rely more and more on eating krill. The largest penguin species, the Emperor, is also in trouble; in the past half century, some of their colonies have halved in size. With the ongoing increase in warm winters and stronger winds, they are forced to raise their chicks on thinner sea ice year after year. For a number of years, sea ice has broken away much too early resulting in many eggs and chicks being blown away long before they are able to survive on their own.



Adélie penguin populations, which live on the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula where warming has been the most extensive, has seen a decrease of 65% in their numbers over the last 25 years. Like with the other penguin species, food is scarce, sea ice is disappearing rapidly and the Gentoos and Chinstrap species have "invaded" the area. Adélie penguins need land that is free of ice and snow so they can raise their young, but warm temperatures means more moisture is held in the atmosphere which ultimately brings more snow.



Luckily, a penguin stuffed animal doesn't have to face the harsh conditions the real thing does on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. A penguin stuffed animal is fortunate enough to be able to reap all the benefits a loving owner can give it: lots of hugs, a warm place to lay its head, and an occasional trek outside the home when leaving him/her is simply not an option.





Angeline Hope is a collector of large plush stuffed animals. You can view a selection of large plush stuffed animals including
href="http://www.mybigplush.com/store/blog/Penguin_Stuffed_Animals_2.php">penguin stuffed animal toys at MyBigPlush.