Penguin
Altogether, about 17 species of Penguin exist; these flightless birds are found almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere (but see also penguins in the northern hemisphere), many on or towards Antarctica. The northernmost penguins live in the Galapagos Islands, near the equator. All penguins are camoflaged with light and dark feathers, and their wings act as fins for swimming; the best known is probably the largest, the emperor penguin.
Penguins are well-known worldwide for their apparently clumsy nature on land, where they can be observed waddling awkwardly in large colonies. All this changes, however, when penguins take to the water; there bodies are well-adapted by evolution to make them superb divers, moving at speed through the frigid Antarctic Ocean or warmer waters further north.
Penguins are subject to a substantial body of research work, as their health and survival rates could provide a good barometer for measuring climate change and how well they adapt to an increased human presence in their natural habitat.
Due to their slightly comic appearance, penguins have something of a presence in popular culture. Although films such as Batman Returns suggested that there was something rather sinister about these animals, the Penguin has a fairly good reputation; its image helps sell everything from a popular publisher's books to a long-standing brand of chocolate biscuit. They also act as mascots: the Linux operating system is supported by Tux the penguin, and the Norwegian Army has made one a regimental sergeant major.[1] Penguins often appear in children's entertainment; for example, Pingu is a popular animated character. Penguins have also made it at the cinema, with two recent releases: Happy Feet, aimed at younger moviegoers, and the controversial March of the Penguins,[2] which was intepreted by some conservative commentators as supporting their ideas about family values. Needless to say, penguins in fact exhibit the same ruthless streak as other animals who have to survive in harsh conditions and with limited resources.
Where does the word 'penguin' originate?
The word penguin first indisputably appears in a letter of 1578 from Newfoundland. There are a number of claims circulating as to the origin of this word, but no firm view; the following are the best known.[3]
'Penguin' is Welsh for 'white head'
Oddly for a bird that is almost exclusively found in the southern hemisphere, one popular claim about the etymology of the word 'penguin' is that it is from the Welsh pen gwyn, meaning 'white head'. This story relies on Celtic sailors in the northern hemisphere bestowing this name on the now-extinct Great Auk, a flightless bird unrelated to the Penguin but occasionally mistaken for it. Due to this confusion, penguin was later applied to penguins rather than auks. However, scholars have found fault with the idea that sailors from predominantly English-speaking regions would give the bird a Welsh name; indeed, the other name for the Great Auk, garefowl, is Norse, a language more usually associated with sailors of the North Atlantic. Not only that, but both penguins and great auks have rather more black than white on their heads.[4]
'Penguin' is from the Newfoundland 'pin wing'
Another reason to dispute the Penguin's Welsh connections is that the sixteenth-century inhabitants of Newfoundland apparently referred to the Great Auk as 'Pin Wing', in reference to its rudimentary wings. This name supposedly spread to the penguins far to the south, though there is little firm evidence for this.
'Penguin' is Latin for 'fat'
The Latin word for 'fat' is pinguis - somehow, this word came to be applied to penguins in English, possibly through the legendary auk-penguin mix-up. This may be related to the fact that the Great Auk's Latin name is Pinguinus.[5] This story seems to exist simply because a Latin word happens to resemble the English penguin; no relationship has been established.
Footnotes
- ↑ BBC News: 'Penguin picks up military honour'.
- ↑ Original French title: La Marche de l'Empereur ('The Emperor's March'). Director: Luc Jacquet. Some international releases follow the original French version in having actors voice the penguins themselves; the English version uses narration.
- ↑ This section relies primarily on scholars from the Oxford English Dictionary. See Askoxford.com - ask the experts: 'What is the origin of the word 'penguin'?'.
- ↑ See any photograph of a penguin, or a drawing of a great auk.
- ↑ Pingouin is the French word for an auk, rather than a penguin. French speakers name the penguin manochet. Confusingly, the villianous 'Penguin' character in the aforementioned Batman Returns film was named 'le Pingouin' in the French translation. As the Penguin's forces were composed entirely of penguins, rather than auks, it seems this confusion has entered even the francophone world.