Page 132 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Penguins are a breed of aquatic flightless birds numbering 19 species occupying 6 genera in the
family Spheniscidae* in the order Sphenisciformes. Apart from the, Galápagos penguin, which is the
only species found north of the equator and is endem-
ic to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador, all the re-
maining species are found south of the equator in An-
gola, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Namibia,
New Zealand, and South Africa. However, no penguins
inhabit the Arctic. The largest of the species is, the Em-
peror penguin which stands just over 1 metre tall and
weighs around 35 kg. The smallest is the little pen-
guin standing about 30 to 33 cm tall and weighs
around 1.2 to 1.3 kg.

Penguins are a very distinctive breed of bird.
Whether large or small their near oval shaped
body is divided between a bright white front and
a black or dark back. They all have stiff flipper-
like wings, usually black but depending on the
*Family Spheniscidae species could have a light or coloured underside.
Genus Eudyptes Their round head and neck are usually black, some, however, have a
Fiordland penguin white face with others having small white patches here-and-there.
Snares penguin Some even have a colourful orange or yellow neck band. Their beaks
Erect-crested penguin can be long and thin or thick and short but they all have powerful jaws
Southern rockhopper penguin with a spiny tongue design for gripping slippery aquatic prey. Their
Northern rockhopper penguin three toed feet are thin, bare and splayed, forming the flippers that
Royal penguin propel them through the water, with the Gentoo penguin reaching a
macaroni penguin speed of 36 km/h, making it the fastest underwater bird in the world.
Genus Spheniscus Penguins are well adapted for life in the cold waters and climates
Magellanic penguin of the Southern hemisphere. Remarkably, their feet are bare and open
Humboldt penguin to all weather, yet never freeze. This is achieved by a blood filtering
Galápagos penguin process in their lower limbs, where cold blood is kept temperate by the
African penguin flow of warm blood. They can also drink salt water, negating the need
Genus Pygoscelis to search for fresh water. They have glands which filter out the salt,
Adélie penguin and excrete it as a thick fluid from their nasal passage. Their smooth
Chinstrap penguin plumage has a trapped isolating layer of air that ensures them buoyan-
Gentoo penguin cy in the water and helps keep them warm in the coldest of climates.
Genus Aptenodytes They spend half their lives in the water, and it’s in the water where
King penguin they are at their most graceful. Using the feet for propulsion, and their
Emperor penguin flippers flapping like the wings of a bird, they soar, glide and slide ef-
fortlessly through the water like birds in the air. On land they tend to
Genus Eudyptula look a little ungainly, walking with a slow sideward wobble or hop, or
little penguin like the polar penguins which are often seen sliding along the ice on
Australian little penguin their bellies. They are also very sociable animals and most species –
Genus Megadyptes apart from some like the yellow-eyed and Fiordland penguins – come
Yellow-eyed penguin together in great groups or ‘rookeries’ at mating time and to keep
warm in the winter. They are egg layers and form monogamous pairs
at mating times, and apart from the male emperor penguin, who is the sole incubator, each monoga-
mous pair takes a turn in the eggs incubation. Communications among penguins are difficult to define
as each species is different. However, with some ‘rookeries’ numbering hundreds of thousands of ani-
mals, it’s safe to say ‘rookeries’ are very noisy places.

Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of aquatic life, and once caught, they
swallow most of it whole. However, the food available will depend on the time of year and where the
species is located. Their diet could vary considerably with the changing seasons, even weather condi-
tions. Due to their isolated and sometimes inaccessible location adult penguins have no land based
predators; though their eggs and young can be victim to other predatory birds like skuas and giant
petrels. In the water however, the adult is vulnerable to attack by leopard seals and killer whales that
usually wait patiently offshore for the penguins to enter the water.