1. Magellanic Penguin
The Magellanic penguin is a South American penguin, breeding in
coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands,with some
migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as
Rio de Janeiro. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins.
Its nearest relatives are the African, the Humboldt and the
Galápagos penguins.
Description:
Magellanic penguins are medium-sized penguins which grow to be
61–76 cm tall and weigh between2.7 and 6.5 kg. The males are
larger than the females,and the weight of both drops while the
parents nurture their young.
Magellanic penguins can live up to 25 years in the wild, but as much
as 30 years in captivity.
Like other species of penguins, the Magellanic penguin has very
rigid wings used to swim under water.
The provincial government of Chubut is committed to the creation of
a MPA in order to protectthe penguins and other marine species
near the largest Magellanic breeding colony. The creation of a MPA
would likely improve the breeding success of the colonies as well as
increase prey availability, reduce foraging distance, and increase
feeding frequency.
2. Polar Bear
The polar bear is a
carnivorous bear whose native
range lies largely within the
Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its
surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large
bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous
Kodiak bear. A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700
kg while a sow (adult female) is about half that size.
Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has
evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many
body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for
moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting
the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most
polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time
at sea. Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from
the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no
sea ice is present.
The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with
eight of the nineteen polar bear subpopulations in decline.
For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key
figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of Arctic
indigenous peoples, and polar bears remain important in
their cultures.
By Aida V. & Hugo
