Scruffy Penguin

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Hidden near the Garage, between boxes and Ski-Doos, was this scruffy looking Adelie Penguin. Penguin's feathers are very important to keep them warm and dry. As the feathers get damaged, penguins need to replace them with new ones - a process known as molting. This process can take two to three weeks, during which penguins are not waterproof and therefore need to stay on dry land, which also means throughout that time they don't eat. Molting is a three phase process - in phase one, penguins prepare for it by doubling or even tripling their food intake to build the extra fat reserves. The new feathers start to grow as this is happening. In phase two, they stay on land and fast, using their fat reserves, and trying to shed the old feathers. The molting in penguins is called catastrophic, as they lose all old feathers at once as opposed to other birds which lose only a few at a time. In stage three the penguin goes back to sea to replenish their lost weight.