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Penguins also are very sensitive to depletion of local fish populations by humans. Article Media.
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Introduction General features Natural history Reproduction Locomotion and orientation Food habits Form and function Evolution and classification Fossil record Classification. Alternative Titles: Sphenisciformes, sphenisciform.
General features The stocky, short-legged appearance of penguins has endeared them to people worldwide. Load Next Page. More About.
The smallest penguin is the little blue penguin , found in New Zealand and Australia, which is only about 33cm high and 43cm long. The name penguin was originally given to an unrelated bird species — the now-extinct great auk, which was a large, flightless, black and white bird. The light front and dark back tuxedo-like coloration of classic penguin plumage is called countershading. Discover the diverse and picturesque landscapes of Victoria. Galapagos penguin diving for fish. The male penguin usually finds itself a nice nesting site before attempting to court a female. Smithsonian Channel.
They spend half of their life on land and the other half swimming in the water, so their wings have changed to act like flippers which makes them great swimmers. Penguins are known for waddling their feet when they walk, and they also slide on their bellies across the snow.
Both of these help them move while saving their energy. Almost all groups of penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the bottom half of the Earth. When we think about penguins, a lot of people usually think they all live in freezing cold climates like Antarctica.
While some species do live there, most live in warmer areas. Penguins have adapted for life in the water, and they spend a lot of their time in or near the ocean.
Most penguins like to eat krill which is kind of like shrimp , fish, squid, and other types of sea life that they can catch while they swim in the water. Penguins have a few predators and these include sharks, orcas, and leopard seals.
Humans used to hunt penguins for their oil and eggs, but because penguins are protected, this is now illegal. One of the biggest ways that penguins protect themselves is by living in large groups.
Many predators will be less likely to attack if there are a lot of penguins around, and this also helps because there are so many of them keeping lookout. Another way penguins protect themselves is by their special camouflage on their feathers which is called countershading.
Penguins have black feathers on their backs and white on their fronts, so if a predator is looking up from the water, like an orca or a leopard seal, they will have a hard time seeing the penguin because of the bright water surface. If they get close to land, they can jump out of the water at a high speed and quickly escape the threat.