Average adults penguin are about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (77 lb).
The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin.
The word penguin first appears in the 16th century as a synonym for great auk. When European explorers discovered what are today known as penguins in the Southern Hemisphere.
Penguin biodiversity varies between 17 and 20 living species, all in the subfamily Spheniscinae.
The New Zealand giant penguin was probably the heaviest, weighing 80 kg or more.
Penguins are superbly adapted to aquatic life. Their vestigial wings have become flippers, useless for flight in the air.
All penguins are countershaded for camouflage – that is, they have black backs and wings with white fronts.
Diving penguins reach 6 to 12 km/h (3.7 to 7.5 mph), though there are reports of velocities of 27 km/h (17 mph).
Dives of the large emperor penguin have been recorded reaching a depth of 565 m (1,854 ft) for up to 22 minutes.
One in 50,000 penguins are born with brown rather than black plumage.
Major populations of penguins are found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Penguin eggs are smaller than any other bird species when compared proportionally to the weight of the parent birds; at 52 g (2 oz), the little penguin egg is 4.7% of its mothers' weight, and the 450 g (1 lb) emperor penguin egg is 2.3%. source
Penguin eggs are smaller than any other bird species when compared proportionally to the weight of the parent birds; at 52 g (2 oz), the little penguin egg is 4.7% of its mothers' weight, and the 450 g (1 lb) emperor penguin egg is 2.3%.
Penguins have no special fear of humans, and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation.
n June 2011, a penguin came ashore on New Zealand's Peka Peka Beach, 3200 km off course on its journey to Antarctica.
A video game called Pengo was released by Sega in 1982. Set in Antarctica, the player controls a penguin character who must navigate mazes of ice-cubes.
Adult little penguins are the only penguins in the world with blue and white feathers instead of black and white feathers. source
Adult little penguins are the only penguins in the world with blue and white feathers instead of black and white feathers.
The largest colony of little penguins in Victoria is located at Phillip Island, where the nightly 'parade' of penguins across Summerland Beach has been a major tourist destination, and more recently a major conservation effort, since the 1920s. Phillip Is
Tux is a penguin character and the official mascot of the Linux kernel.
The concept of the Linux mascot being a penguin came from Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux.
The great auk is a flightless bird of the alcid family that became extinct in the mid-19th century.
The great auk wings were only 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length and the longest wing feathers were only 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long.
The Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. source
The Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands.
Magellanic penguins must swim an extra 40 km (25 miles) further from the nest for fish. While the penguins are swimming an extra 80 km (50 miles). source
Magellanic penguins must swim an extra 40 km (25 miles) further from the nest for fish. While the penguins are swimming an extra 80 km (50 miles).
