Penguins

7 words 9 learners

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huddle together
crowd or draw together

So they huddle together against the harsh elements — and together, their bodies can raise the temperature within two hours to as high as 98.6 degrees.
traffic jam
a number of vehicles blocking one another until they can scarcely move

Just like cars do in a traffic jam, the penguins would move to fill in an empty space.
insulate
surround with material to protect from heat, cold, or noise

The 2-centimeter threshold is no accident: That’s roughly twice the thickness of a penguin’s properly fluffed layer of insulating feathers.
maximize
make as big or large as possible

But penguins move in ways that maximize the huddle’s density and keep the birds warm as they incubate their eggs.
incubate
grow under conditions that promote development

But penguins move in ways that maximize the huddle’s density and keep the birds warm as they incubate their eggs.
initiate
set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for

But unlike cars in a traffic jam, any penguin can initiate movement, whether they’re in the front, to the back or to the side.
compressing
applying pressure

The penguins avoid "compressing the feather layer so as to maximize the huddle density without compromising their own insulation."

Created on Sat Jan 18 01:41:08 EST 2014