When the Giants Vanished: teacher key

Penguins, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. Some fossil penguins were as big as or bigger than emperors. Read what one idea says ended them, and how living penguins hunt, breed and, as of November 2026, are listed.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. A fossil Kumimanu weighed about 100 kilograms. A big emperor penguin can weigh about 40. About how many times heavier was the fossil?
   • About the same
   • About 2.5 times (answer)
   • About 25 times
2. What does one idea blame for the giant penguins vanishing?
   • The rise of seals and toothed whales (answer)
   • A shortage of krill
   • Warm seas
3. Which animals mostly hunt Adelie penguins?
   • Skuas
   • Killer whales
   • Leopard seals (answer)
4. How long does a father emperor stand with the egg?
   • About 65 days (answer)
   • About 6 days
   • About 165 days
5. What does vanished mean in this book?
   • Grew bigger
   • Went out of sight for good (answer)
   • Moved to a warm sea

Words

• fossil: old remains
• vanished: went away
• flippers: limbs for swimming
• nest: egg home
• Endangered: nearly gone