Penguin
hideAptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For prehistoric genera, see Systematics
Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica, where they are most well-known for living. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their life on land and half in the oceans.
Although 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, and one species, the Galápagos Penguin, lives near the equator.
The largest living species is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri): adults average about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (75 lb) or more. The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kg (2.2 lb). Among extant penguins, larger penguins inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are generally found in temperate or even tropical climates (see also Bergmann's Rule). Some prehistoric species attained enormous sizes, becoming as tall or as heavy as an adult human (see below for more). These were not restricted to Antarctic regions; on the contrary, subantarctic regions harboured high diversity, and at least one giant penguin occurred in a region not quite 2,000 km south of the equator 35 mya, in a climate decidedly warmer than today.
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News tagged with penguins
Same-sex behavior seen in nearly all animals
Jun 16, 2009 |
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Same-sex behavior is a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom, common across species, from worms to frogs to birds, concludes a new review of existing research.
'Invisible hand' guides evolution of cooperative turn-taking, research shows
Jul 09, 2009 |
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It's not just good manners to wait your turn -- it's actually down to evolution, according to new research by University of Leicester psychologists.
The poop on finding penguins: Follow the guano
Jun 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Scientists looking for lost penguins stumbled upon an effective method: Follow their poop from space.
Phytoplankton is changing along the Antarctic Peninsula
Mar 12, 2009 |
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As the cold, dry climate of the western Antarctic Peninsula becomes warmer and more humid, phytoplankton - the bottom of the Antarctic food chain - is decreasing off the northern part the peninsula and increasing further ...
Carnegie Mellon engineers create mobile video service
Mar 04, 2009 |
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Carnegie Mellon University engineering faculty, Priya Narasimhan and Rajeev Gandhi, and their students have created a new, unique large-scale mobile wireless video service designed to enhance sports fans' experience at games. ...
The secret life of penguins revealed
May 13, 2009 |
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Famous for its cuteness and comic gait on land, the penguin also has an enigmatic life at sea, sometimes spending months foraging in the ocean before returning to its breeding grounds.
Emperor penguins march toward extinction?
Biology /
Jan 27, 2009 |
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Popularized by the 2005 movie "March of the Penguins," emperor penguins could be headed toward extinction in at least part of their range before the end of the century, according to a paper by Woods Hole Oceanographic ...
Australia investigates mysterious penguin killings
Jul 15, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The first battered bodies were found on a small Australian beach, the white sand around them stained crimson with their blood. A few days later, the killer struck again - this time on the nearby cliffs ...
Penguins marching into trouble
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
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A quarter-century of data reveals how changing weather patterns and land use, combined with overfishing and pollution, are taking a heavy toll on penguin numbers.
Penguins setting off sirens over health of world's oceans
Jul 01, 2008 |
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Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a University of Washington conservation ...
A happy new year for penguins
Biology /
Dec 31, 2008 |
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The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society announced today that its efforts to protect a wildlife-rich coastal region in South America have paid off in the form of a new coastal marine park recently ...
