About
Penguins are flightless seabirds superbly adapted for aquatic life — their wings evolved into flippers; they can 'fly' underwater at 36 km/h and dive to 565 meters (Emperor penguin). All 18 species live in the Southern Hemisphere; none are naturally in the Arctic. They range from the equatorial Galápagos penguin to the Antarctic Emperor penguin.
Emperor penguins (the world's largest at 120 cm, 45 kg) breed in the Antarctic winter — males incubate a single egg on their feet through -60°C storms for 65 days, losing 40% of their body weight. Females return from sea with food just as the eggs hatch. The 2005 documentary 'March of the Penguins' was one of the most successful nature documentaries ever, bringing Emperor penguins to mass consciousness.
# Top 10 penguin species
- 1Emperor (largest)
- 2King
- 3Adélie
- 4Chinstrap
- 5Macaroni
- 6Little Blue/Fairy (smallest)
- 7Galápagos
- 8African
- 9Gentoo (fastest swimming)
- 10Magellanic
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Male Emperor penguins fast for 65 days incubating their egg in -60°C Antarctic winter — losing 40% of body weight
- ◆Penguins' black-and-white coloring is counter-shading camouflage — dark from above (matches dark sea), white from below (matches bright sky)
- ◆Emperor penguins can dive to 565 meters — deeper than almost any bird
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