How Many Species Of Penguins Are There?
There are more than 10 species of penguins, and in photographs we always see them surrounded by snow, so we wonder: are they all in the same place or are they distributed in different cold places? We find out where different species of penguins live and we tell you that not all of them live in snowy places.
Penguin species: common characteristics
Penguins are a marine family of flightless birds. In other words, they live on the coast and spend part of their lives submerged in the sea, although they nest on the continent.
They don’t use their wings to fly: they help them swim faster.
Biologists have counted 17 different species of penguins, and the size, weight and color of their specimens vary greatly depending on each specific species.
The largest is the emperor penguin, which measures one meter in height and weighs almost 35 kilos, while the smallest is the blue penguin, which as an adult weighs just one kilo.
However, all these animals have the same diet: they are carnivorous birds.
The size of the prey also depends on the size of the penguin that will have to catch it, of course, but in general they eat fish, squid and shrimp.
penguin habitat
Penguins live entirely in the southern hemisphere, although not all of them live in Antarctica or in snowy areas.
Of course, most penguin colonies are located around the southernmost continent of our planet.
Above Antarctica, these animals can also be found on the southern coasts of Australia, South Africa and Peru, Chile and Argentina.
Of course, there are also penguins on the sub-Antarctic islands. Outside the breeding season, they sometimes expand northward, but they always follow cold currents.
The Adelie penguin lives only in Antarctica and does not usually separate from its back. In this same area, the emperor also lives.
The king penguin, however, can extend its habitat to South Australia and New Zealand.
The Humboldt penguin does not live in the Antarctic region, as it extends along the Pacific coast of Chile and Peru.
It is a less cold zone than other species and therefore lives in rock and not snow.
The only exception to these regions so far south are the Galapagos penguins, which live on the islands that belong to Ecuador.
They are located, however, in the same way as the rest of the species, in the southern hemisphere, even if only for a few kilometers.
Your diet depends on the sea
Penguins are very good divers, and in their evolution, species rejected their ability to fly in pursuit of high speeds and underwater precision: their wings became fins that help them propel themselves.
They have their legs further back than other birds, which makes them clumsy on land, but they are the best rudders they could count on.
Now we know where penguins live: in the southern hemisphere.
However, if we ask about their specific habitat, we must keep in mind that most of the day is spent in the water.
There are some species, moreover, that can go weeks without returning to the mainland.
Penguins group into colonies to protect themselves from outside threats.
There are colonies of many different sizes: some are made up of just hundreds of couples, while others, like the one they recently discovered on Danger Island, have more than a million members.
Penguin reproduction
Penguins form pairs for life, and during breeding seasons, they take turns fishing: one member of the couple takes care of the nest, incubating eggs or protecting the chicks, while the other goes out looking for food.
The species that build nests, since not all do, place them far from the coast, but on the mainland.
Some build them on steep terrain, others build on flat terrain: it depends on the possibilities offered by the terrain, but away from possible predators.
The penguin species form a unique family of seabirds.
Its habitat is restricted to the southern hemisphere, so if you want to do penguin sightings, you will most likely have to move to areas near Antarctica.
Remember to be respectful of wild animals and the environment so as not to put them in danger of extinction.
