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| Penguins |
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| Common
Name: |
penguin |
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| Class:
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Aves |
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| Order: |
Sphenisciformes |
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| Family:
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Spheniscidae |
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| Genus
species: |
There
are 17 species of penguins:
- emperor
- Aptenodytes forsteri
- king
- Aptenodytes patagonica
- Adelie
- Pygoscelis adeliae
- gentoo
- Pygoscelis papua
- chinstrap
- Pygoscelis antarctica
- rockhopper
- Eudyptes crestatus
- macaroni
- Eudyptes chrysolophus
- royal
- Eudyptes schlegeli
- Fiordland
crested - Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
- erect-crested
- Eudyptes sclateri
- Snares
Island - Eudyptes robustus
- yellow-eyed
- Megadyptes antipodes
- fairy
(little blue) - Eudyptula minor
- Magellanic
- Spheniscus magellanicus
- Humboldt
- Spheniscus humboldti
- black-footed
- Spheniscus demersus
- Galapagos
- Spheniscus mendiculus
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| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
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| Size: |
The
emperor penguin is the largest penguin, standing 112 cm (44 in) tall.
The smallest penguin is the fairy penguin, standing just 41 cm (16
in). |
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| Weight:
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The
emperor penguin weighs the most at 27-41 kg (60-90 lbs) while the
fairy penguin is the lightest, weighing about 1 kg (2.2 lbs). |
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| Diet: |
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| Gestation: |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
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| Life
span: |
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| Range:
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| Habitat:
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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All
Antarctic penguins are legally protected by the Antarctic Treaty.
Penguins are vulnerable to habitat destruction, overfishing of primary
food sources, ecological disasters such as oil spills and human encroachment
into nesting areas. |
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| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
All
penguins live south of the equator, from the icy waters of Antarctica
to the tropical Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, almost
astride the equator.
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| 2. |
Chinstrap
penguins may be the most numerous penguin, with a population estimated
at 12 to 13 million. |
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| 3. |
The
most vulnerable penguin is the yellow-eyed penguin, which inhabits
the coasts and offshore islands of southeast New Zealand. The yellow-eyed
penguin population is estimated at less than 10,000. |
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| 4. |
Penguins
are specialized marine birds adapted to living at sea. Some species
spend as much as 75% of their lives in the sea. Penguin wings are
paddle-like flippers used for swimming, not flying. |
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| Ecology
and Conservation |
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| Bibliography |
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| More information
about penguins |
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| Return
to Animal Bytes |
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