Penguin Perfection
A page dedicated to the world's southern flightless birds.
What are Penguins?
Genus Aptsenodyte
Emperor Penguins Of all the Penguins, these ones are probably the most remarkable. They stand around four feet tall, and can hold their breaths for up to fifteen minutes. But the most remarkable thing is their life systems. They can survive an Antarctic winter, one of the most violent winters in the world. The males fast for about three months. During the winter, it is always dark. Then the fathers have to feed a newborn chick, after starving themselves. They can produce a milky substance that they regurgitate. What commitment!
King Penguins
Relatives of the Emperors, the Kings follow the same breeding pattern, but it is in a much warmer climate. Kings breed in the Falkland Islands, along with many other types of penguins. At their maximum height, they are about 3 feet tall. They have orange-ish coloring, unlike the Emperor's yellow markings. Genus Pygoscelis
Adelie Penguins Adelie penguins are one of the smaller breeds. At maximum they reach about eighteen inches. These penguins also live in Antarctica. Unlike the Emperors, which live on ice, Adelie's live on rockier parts of the Ice-Continent. These penguins have nests made of stones, which they will steal form each other. These penguins have just black-and-white markings, which are around their backs, on their faces, and on their chins. Juvenile Adelie's have white chins.
Chinstrap Penguins
y actually do have a chin strap. A thin, black line stretches from one chin to the other. These penguins are about 30 inches tall, and live on Antarctic islands and Sub-antarctic islands. Chinstraps eat mainly krill, and sometimes have a little bit of fish, which make up 5 % of their diet. Gentoo Penguin
Gentoo Penguins are black (like most other penguins) and have a white stripe leading from one eye to the other. I
heard it was supposed to be like a bonnet, but I don't see the resemblance. If you do, please tell me in my "What do you think?' part of this site. They are around 35 inches tall and are the third tallest penguins in the world, after Emperor and King. These penguins are the fastest underwater swimmers, reaching speeds of 17 miles per hour. They live in sub-antarctic islands, including the Falkland islands.
Genus Eudyptes
Macaroni Penguin
Now we come to the crested penguins. All of the crested penguins look a great deal alike, with slight differences.
Even I don't know what the differences are, and I believe myself to be a penguin expert! The first one we'll talk about is the Macaroni Penguin. These penguins are 28 inches tall, and are the largest of the crested penguins. They live on the sub-antarctic islands of Africa and South America. These penguins eat mainly krill, with a little bit of squid.
Royal penguin
O
h boy.... Royal Penguins are often confused with Macaroni Penguins, so just a heads up.... Royal penguins have a white chin, while Macaroni Penguins have black ones. They are both around the same size, but Royals live in the Macquarie Islands. Try to tell the difference between the two penguins..... I can.
These penguins are easy to tell from others because it's crest sticks straight up in the air! They are about 25 inches tall, and live on sub-antarctic Islands. They eat mainly Krill and squid. There hasn't been a lot of research done about these penguins, and they don't live in any zoos!
and krill, but no one is positively sure.
- The Eastern Rockhoppers are slightly larger and have a very thin crest on the head.
- The Southern Rockhoppers are the most numerous of the species. They are slightly smaller then the Eastern Species.
- The Northern Rockhoppers have the longest crest, and a distinctive call.
Genus Spheniscus
African Penguins
These penguins also have another name, the Black-footed penguins. They are found on the South Coast of Africa, so these penguins are often seen by tourists. They look like Humboldt penguins,but they are bigger and heavier. So by looking at pictures, you might not be able to tell the difference! In height, they are 24 inches tall. Also, the African Penguin's flippers are proportionally larger then the Humboldt's.
Humboldt Penguins
on the West Coast of South America, and they dig their burrows in sand or in smal caves. They eat anchovies and sardines. I bet that the have really bad breath! Humboldt's are also called the Peruvian penguin, but this is not accurate because they also live in Chile. The have a smaller white band on their head too. Magellanic Penguins
These penguins are like African penguins and Humboldt penguins, but they are the easiest to tell apart Instead of having one black band on their chests, they have two. They are about 24 inches tall. They live on the Southern coasts of South America. Lots of penguins will build nests of stones, but Magellanic Penguins build their nests under bushes, or in burrows. They eat squid and fish. These are the most northernly of all the penguins, living on the Galpogos Island. 
They are about 17 inches tall, but no detailed studies have been performed about this breed of penguins. But we think that they eat mullet and sardines (fish.) There are only 800 breeding pairs.
Genus Megadyptes
Yellow-Eyed Penguin
These penguins are thought to be the closest to original (ancient) penguins in appereance. They are called "Yellow-eyed" Because they have a broad yellow band running across their heads and around their eyes. They are around 28 inches tall, and breed on New Zealand, and on a few other Sub-Antarctic Islands. They eat fish with a little tiny bit of squid.
Genus Eudyptula
Fairy PenguinsFairy Penguins are the smallest of all the penguins, standing a tiny 15 inches. They live on Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. They eat mainly fish and squids. In most penguins, when the chicks get older, they form creches to stay together while their parents go hunting. But in Fairy Penguins, creches are unusual. That's all of the penguins, but I still have more to show you!
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