![]() ![]() ![]() Almost all are in the southern hemisphere, but the Galapagos Penguin just slips over into the northern hemisphere. Other penguin species are found further north, on islands and around the coasts of Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand. Adelie penguins are also and Antarctic species, and gentoo, chinstrap and macaroni penguins are known to breed on the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula. Emperor penguins are the most southerly breeding birds of all, forming breeding colonies on the sea ice around Antarctica. When you think of penguins you may be thinking of Antarctica, but most species are not found on the great southern continent. These are just three of the 18 species of penguin alive today. This is recognized internationally through designation of 22 Important Bird Areas, all of which are coastal or island sites containing breeding colonies of these attractive birds.Emperor penguin on display in the Museum of Zoologyĭid you know that January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day? At the Museum of Zoology we have a number of penguins on display, from the handsome emperor penguin standing over a metre tall to the little penguin at closer to 30cm tall, and rockhopper penguin with its plumes of feathers sweeping back on top of its head. The Falkland Islands are globally important for their penguin populations. How to celebrate? Learn more about these majestic birds and their habitat and try to understand how human activity may be affecting them If your local zoo has penguins, why not take a trip there to spend some time observing them? They use their wings as flippers to move quickly underwater. While penguins are great at diving and swimming, they cannot fly even though they are considered to be part of the bird family. It is thought that the black and white coloring of the penguins is a camouflage which helps them to hide from underwater predators. ![]() The smallest known penguin species are the little penguin found in the coastal areas of Australia and New Zealand. Of the known species of penguins, the largest are the emperor penguins, which live mostly in Antarctica colonies. What’s more, for the Gentoo, the Falklands are home to the largest population on Earth. The Falkland Islands are one of the world's great penguin capitals: as many as a million penguins nest in the Falklands every summer, representing five of the world’s seventeen species – King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Magellanic and Macaroni. Penguin Awareness Day helps raise awareness about the flightless birds whose numbers are dwindling and also aims to bring international focus on the conservation of penguin habitats. The alternative etymology relates the word to Latin Word “Pinguis,” which refers to Fat or Oil. The source of the word is English or Dutch. There is a debate about the etymology of the name “Penguin”. The term Penguin was first published in the 16th century as a synonym for Great Auk. The exact origin and the founder of Penguin Awareness Day are still unknown. Penguin Awareness Day was initiated to bring more focus to the conservation of Penguin Habitats. They spend half of their lives inland and another half in the ocean. The life of a Penguin may be divided into two portions. Most of the penguins will feed krill, squid, fish, and some forms of sea life creatures that are caught while swimming under the water. Their Wings are evolved into flippers, and they live in water areas only. Penguins are counter-shaded dark and white plumage. They live in the Southern Hemisphere, and a particular species of the Penguin named Galapagos Penguin is found only in the north equator region called Temperate Zone. Penguins are a group of aquatic and flightless birds. One adult individual was observed during the breeding period in a mixed colony of chinstrap, Pygoscelis antarctica, and macaroni, E. Penguin Awareness Day is celebrated on January 20 of every year. There is a debate about the etymology of the name “Penguin” ![]()
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