Hobbies And Interests
The Basics
Penguins are flightless birds famous for being some of the few animals to colonize Antarctica. There are about 17 different species, ranging from the 18-inch-tall little blue penguins of Australia and New Zealand to the 4-foot-tall emperor penguins of Antarctica. Being water birds, penguins eat fish and marine invertebrates such as krill.
Appearance
Penguins have the body shape and coloring of an aquatic creature. All penguins have light bellies and dark backs, a similar coloring pattern to many fish. It exists in penguins for the same reason. It makes penguins difficult for predators to see in the water from above --- because their dark backs merge with the dark depths --- and from below --- because their light bellies merge with the light surface. Penguins have exceptionally thick, waterproof feathers to insulate them while they are underwater. They have up to 70 feathers per square inch. Their wings are more like flippers, because they are used for swimming and not flying.
Habitat
Penguins are primarily water birds, spending up to three-quarters or more of their lives at sea. They are far better adapted for water than for land. Penguins are slow and clumsy on land, but they are fast swimmers. Penguins live throughout the Southern Hemisphere, in South America, Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica. Not all penguins live in cold places; some live in hot climates. The Galapagos penguin, for example, lives right on the equator.
Behavior
Most penguins are highly social. Some, such as emperor penguins, form huge breeding colonies. Penguins have to raise their young on land, and this is not easy for animals adapted to the water. Forming groups provides mutual protection. Some penguins perform incredible feats just to get onto the land. Rockhopper penguins, for example, scale 90-foot cliffs.