Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galápagos penguin, found north of the Equator. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sea life which they catch while swimming underwater. They spend roughly half of their lives on land and the other half in the sea.
Although almost all penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere, they are not found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin live so far south. Several species are found in the temperate zone, but one species, the Galápagos penguin, lives near the Equator.
The largest living species is the emperor penguin. The smallest penguin species is the fairy penguin. Among penguins, larger penguins inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are generally found in temperate or even tropical climates.
Penguin facts
Penguins are flightless birds.
Most scientists agree that there are 17 species of penguins.
13 are either threatened or endangered.
Penguins are excellent swimmers.
They can swim up to 15 miles per hour.
They can walk between 1.7 mph and 2.4 mph.
They can keep their breath for for 10-15 minutes underwater.
Penguins can dive deeper than any other bird.
Male and female penguins look alike.
Penguins do not have teeth.
Instead of regular wings, penguins have flippers.
Penguins find all their food in the sea.
They eat mostly fish and squid.
They also crabs, shrimp, and krill.
A large penguin can collect as many as 30 fish in one dive.
Penguins swallow pebbles and stones as well as their food.
King penguins can form nesting colonies of up to 10,000 penguins.
Some penguin colonies on Antarctica can contain 20 million or more penguins.
Fairy penguin is the smallest type of penguin.
Emperor penguin is the largest penguin.
Emperor Penguins stand up to 4 feet high.
Emperor Penguins weigh as much as 100 pounds.
Penguins can live between 15 and 20 years.
They spend approximately 75% of their lives in the water.
Penguins all live in the Southern hemisphere.
A penguin’s normal body temperature is approximately 100° F.
Penguins’ eyes work better under water than they do in air.
Only two species live on the frozen land of Antarctica.
Most penguins are found in South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and Australia.
Most penguin species lay two eggs.
Emperor and King Penguins build no nest at all and lay just a single egg.
Penguins can drink salt water because they have a special gland.
An adult male Emperor Penguin will not eat for approximately 115 days.
Approximately 1 in 50,000 penguins is born with brown plumage rather than black.
These are called isabelline penguins.
Penguins often slide on their tummies over ice and snow.
A group of young penguin chicks is called a crèche.
A group of penguins in the water is called a raft.
A group of penguins on land is called a waddle.
Penguins mate, nest, and raise their chicks in a place called a rookery.
Penguins lost their ability to fly millions of year ago.
Emperor Penguins are the main characters in the movie Happy Feet.
