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More About Penguins ...
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Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are an order of flightless birds living in the southern hemisphere. They are not, contrary to popular belief, only found in cold climates, such as Antarctica. Many species live as far north as the Galapagos Islands and will occasionally cross the equator while feeding.
Penguins like to stay and move within large groups. Most penguins live off krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife that they catch while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life time on land and half in the oceans.
The largest species is the Emperor Penguin: adults average about 1.1 meter tall and mass 30 or more kilograms. The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which is typically 35 to 40 cm tall and 1 kilogram. Generally larger penguins retain heat better and thus inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are found in temperate or even tropical climates.
Adaptation
Penguins are superbly adapted to an aquatic life. Their wings have become flippers, useless for flight in the air; in the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Within the smooth plumage a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. This is the reason a chain of air bubbles stretches behind a diving penguin. The air layer also helps insulate the bird in the icy waters of the Antarctic. The plumage of penguins in tropical and temperate zones is much thinner.
On land, they use their tails and wings to maintain balanced. When there is an emergency, they would drop to the ground immediately and stretch their wings start to creep fast on snow. Sometimes they even can slide down a slope using their tails and wings to control directions.
All penguins have a white underside and a dark (mostly black) upperside. This is for camouflage. A predator looking up from below (such as a Killer Whale or a Leopard Seal) has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface.
Diving penguins reach 6 to 12 km/h, though there are reports about velocities of 27 km/h (which are probably realistic in the case of precipitate flight). The small penguins don't usually dive deep. Their prey is caught near the surface, and most dives are only one or two minutes in duration. They can dive deep in case of need, however: the large Emperor Penguin has been recorded reaching a depth of 267 metres and staying down for 18 minutes.
On land, penguins are clumsy. They either waddle on their feet or slide on their belly across the snow. However, they can actually run as fast or faster than most humans. They slide on their stomachs, called "tobogganing", to conserve energy and move relatively fast at the same time.
Penguins have an excellent sense of hearing. Their eyes are adapted for underwater vision, and are their primary means of locating prey and avoiding predators; in air, conversely, they are nearsighted. Their sense of smell has not been researched so far.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Penguins
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INFO LINKS
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Chameleon
CHAMELEON Information Network
Network of people interested in chameleons Read More
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Emperor penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Emperor penguin: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Fiordland penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Fiordland penguin: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Humboldt penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc.
"The population of Humboldt penguins is thought to be declining. One of the reasons is due to El Niño increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply". Read More
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Little penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Little penguin: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Macaroni penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc Read More
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Magellanic penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc. "Magellanic penguins breed on the coast and offshore islands of Argentina, Chile and the Falkland islands in the cold temperate sub-Antarctic seas". Read More
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Royal penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Royal penguin: Facts and Pictures. "Royal penguins are found in the southern hemisphere near the Macquarie and Campbell Islands to the south of New Zealand". Read More
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Snare's penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc. "Snare's penguins generally form lifelong bonds with their mates". Read More
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Yellow-eyed penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc. 'They breed and live in New Zealand on the coast of the South, Campbell and Auckland Islands all year round". Read More
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King Penguin
PBS
About King Penguin Read More
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Penguin
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Spheniscidae family including pictures and good print references. "The thought of penguins brings to mind images of "tuxedo-clad" flightless birds standing on the Antarctic ice". Read More
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penguin
BBCi
Adaptation to cold weather. Easy to read Read More
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Adelie Penguin
National Geographic
Adelie Penguin fact sheet and pictures; audio clip Read More
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Emperor Penguin
National Geographic
Emperor Penguin fact sheet and pictures; video clip Read More
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Penguin
Pete and Barb's Penguin pages
"The 17 species of penguins form the largest group of flightless birds". Read More
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Emperor Penguin
National Geographic - Creature Feature Archive
Emperor Penguin fun facts. "Emperor penguins are the largest of the 17 species, or kinds, of penguins, and they spend their entire lives on the cold Antarctic ice and in its waters". Read More
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Adelie penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Information on distribution,diet, behavior, reproduction, etc. "Adelies have white bellies and a white ring around the eyes. The back and the wings are black. They have short, partly feather-covered beaks". Read More
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African penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
"Their call resembles a donkey’s bray, hence their alternative name of jackass penguins". Information on distribution, diet, reproduction, conservation status, etc. Read More
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Erect-crested penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Erect-crested penguin: Facts and Pictures. "Erect-crested penguins breed in large colonies on bare exposed rocks of the Bounty Islands and the tussock-clad beaches of the Antipode Islands". Read More
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Galapagos penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Galapagos penguin: Facts and Pictures.
"When on land, Galapagos penguins hold their flippers out to maximise heat loss and to shade their feet from getting sunburnt". Read More
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Gentoo penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc.
"Gentoo penguins have a circumpolar distribution off the Antarctic peninsular and sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falklands and Macquarie island". Read More
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King penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Categorized information on physical description, distribution, diet, behavior, etc. "King penguins inhabit rocky, snowy and icy areas of sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falklands". Read More
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Rockhopper penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Magellanic penguins breed on the coast and offshore islands of Argentina, Chile and the Falkland islands in the cold temperate sub-Antarctic seas. "Rockhoppers are found on islands in the southern oceans, such as the Falklands, and are found all round the Read More
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Fiordland crested penguin
Kiwi Wildlife Tours
Brief description of Fiordland crested penguin. "The Fiordland crested penguins breed only in New Zealand in small colonies in South Westland, Fiordland and Stewart Island". Read More
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King penguin
Kiwi Wildlife Tours
Brief description of King penguin Read More
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Fairy Penguin
Unique Australian Animals
Categorized information on Fairy Penguin including description, habitat, feeding, etc. Has nice pictures, too. Read More
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Chinstrap penguin
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
"Chinstrap penguins have a white front and throat, red eyes and a black back". Information on distribution, diet, behavior, conservation status, etc. Read More
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Yellow-eyed penguin
Kiwi Wildlife Tours
Brief description of Yellow-eyed penguin. "This penguin shares the dubious distinction of being one of the rarest penguins in the world". Read More
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Little Penguin
Perth Zoo
Narrative on Little Penguin Read More
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Fairy Penguin
Tasmania - Dept. of Primary Industries, Water, and Environment
Brief narrative about Fairy Penguin Read More
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Royal Penguin
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Humboldt (Peruvian) Penguin
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Little Penguin
Australian Museum Online
Description of Little Penguin, with nice pictures and references Read More
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Adelie Penguin
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Adelie Penguin Read More
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Chinstrap Penguin
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Chinstrap Penguin Read More
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