Penguins

Basic Facts about Penguins

Penguins are aquatic, flightless birds that are highly adapted to life in the water. Their distinct tuxedo-like appearance is called countershading, a form of camouflage that helps keep them safe in the water. Penguins do have wing-bones, though they are flipper-like and extremely suited to swimming. Penguins are found almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, where they catch their food underwater and raise their young on land.

Diet

Staples:

• Krill,
• fish
• squid

In general, penguins closer to the equator eat more fish and penguins closer to Antarctica eat more squid and krill.

Population

The penguin species with the highest population is the Macaroni penguin with 11,654,000 pairs. The species with the lowest population is the endangered Galapagos penguin with between 6,000-15,000 individuals.

Range

Penguins can be found on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere from the tropical Galapagos Islands (the Galapagos penguin) located near South America to Antarctica (the emperor penguin).

Reproduction

Mating Season: Varies depending on the species, though most breed during spring and summer.
Incubation: Varies from 1 month-66 days depending on the species.
Number of offspring: King and emperor penguins lay one egg. All other species of penguin lay two eggs.