The … Penguins of Madagascar?

These spunky penguins had their first appearance in the movie "Madagascar" in 2005, where they were part of a subplot to try to make it back to their homeland of Antarctica. However, the penguins find Antarctica too cold and eventually end up on the warm island of Madagascar!

Of course, there are no penguins in Madagascar.

So what can you find instead?

You can find some cool birds, that’s what!

Today, let’s learn about one species that endemic to Madagascar (that means they can only be found there): the Madagascar Harrier-Hawk.

The Madagascar Harrier-Hawk is a largish raptor with long and broad wings. There’s honestly no reason I chose to feature them for today’s article. I just thought they looked cool!

It has a black tail with a single broad grey band bisecting the black half way along its length, Adult birds are grey above with blackish flight feathers. The underparts are white with dense dark barring on the breast, belly and underwing coverts while the upper breast and throat are the same colour as the upperparts and form a grey hood, broken by the yellow face. The bill is yellow with a black tip and the legs are yellow.

Unlike many other birds of prey, the Madagascar Harrier-Hawk is a social bird and is often found in groups of up to 20 individuals. They are also known to hunt cooperatively, with some birds flushing prey towards others waiting in ambush.

If penguins can’t be found in Madagascar, where CAN they be found?

Penguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere (that’s unfortunate for Santa Claus, who supposedly lives in the North Pole). There are 18 species of penguins in the world!

Did you know that the SOUTH Pole - where penguins are found - is where Antarctica is? And the NORTH Pole - where Santa Claus and Polar Bears lives - is where the Arctic is.

So… What’s the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic?

Let’s learn about it :D

The word Arctic actually comes from the Greek arktos, which means “bear”. However, it is only by sheer coincidence that can only find polar bears in the Arctic, but NOT in the Antarctic!

Image credit: Visit Svalbard. The polar bear population in the Svalbard archipelago and Barents Sea area is estimated to be around 3,000, which exceeds the region's human population of 3,500. It's believed that approximately 300 polar bears inhabit Spitsbergen—most of them, of course, along the edge of the ice, accessible by a polar vessel.

That’s because the Arctic region was not named after the bears that live there. The Arctic region gets its name from constellations in the northern sky of the Arctic, 'Ursa Minor' (Little Bear) and 'Ursa Major' (Great Bear).

An illustration of a starry night, with the Ursa Minor and Ursa Major constellations drawn out. Don’t worry if you can’t ‘see’ the constellations in real life… I can’t either!

It’s simply a coincidence (and quite funny) that the land named for the bear is the only home of the polar bear!

On the other hand, the name for Antarctica literally means ‘opposite the Bear’. Down south in Antarctica you'll find penguins.

Even though they are birds, penguins look almost nothing like some of the most common bird species in the world, like pigeons or song birds.

Penguins have evolved to be better suited for their cold, cold wintery homes! They are short and fat, with thick, streamlined bodies and stiff wings that work as flippers underwater. Such short and stiff wings mean the penguin can’t fly, of course - but they don’t need to, because they fly underwater instead!!

They are amazingly suited to their marine habitat, and they thrive off a seafood diet that consists primarily of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. While hunting, certain species of penguins, like the Emperor Penguin, can remain submerged around 20 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m (1,755 ft).

So cool! Literally!

About Madagascar - a country in East Africa

Home to around 30 million people, Madagascar consists of an eponymous main island (the world's fourth largest by area) and numerous smaller peripheral islands.

The beautiful Madagascar is actually an island-country (just like Singapore!) as is the world’s second-largest island country, after Indonesia.

It’s home to about 30 million people, and the country is made up of one main island, and then numerous smaller peripheral islands that you can reach by boat from the mainland.

BTW, I love islands because they are home to some of the coolest birds (and other flora and fauna). In the world of nature, there are like, a bajillion terms that refer to how cool islands are - from island gigantism, to island evolution, etc… but I can’t cover all of that in one article alone!

Anyway, you may know that the whole world used to be made up of one single, giant landmass. Madagascar was part of that landmass. Around 90 million years ago, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent, and all the flora and fauna on Madagascar began to evolve independently from their cousins across the world.

Today, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, with over 90% of wildlife being endemic. That might not mean much for the everyday person, but it means you get to see a lot of unique plants and animals in Madagascar that you cannot find anywhere else!

That’s all for today’s article. Catch you guys next time!