These sociable penguins live in colonies that range from a few dozen individuals to thousands of birds. Adelie penguins living on the shores of Antarctica are known for being the most southern breeding birds on Earth. Like other penguins, Adelies spend a lot of time in the sea and are capable of diving to depths of 575ft in search of krill, squid and fish. Their colouration helps to protect them from predators while they hunt: white bellies blend in with the bright sky when observing the penguins from below the surface, and their black backs camouflage them in the dark sea when viewed from above.
Perhaps the most recognisable penguins of all, emperors are also the largest species of penguin and can dive deeper than any other bird: although flightless, they use their wings to glide through the sea, and can plummet 1,850ft below the surface to hunt for food. If that wasn’t impressive enough, emperor penguins are also the only animals known to breed in the punishing Antarctic winter, where temperatures reach a considerably chilly minus 60ºC.
Quite a few types of penguin flaunt funky head crests that are similar to the rockhopper’s, but you can distinguish these birds quite easily thanks to their small size and piercing red eyes. There are two subspecies of rockhopper penguin—southern and northern—and they have a wide range that spreads from Antarctica to the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Africa isn’t an obvious place for a penguin to live, but you’ll find them there nonetheless. African penguins are the only breeding species of penguin in Africa, using burrows and rock crevices as their rookeries. With loud, donkey-like calls, they are sometimes referred to as jackass penguins.
It’s obvious what these penguins were named after—the narrow black stripe under their chins give the impression that they’re always wearing a helmet. In fact, they’re one of the few penguin species who might find a helmet useful: these daredevils are known for their climbing, breeding on cliff edges and other rocky terrain with the same mates year after year.
Better known as fairy penguins to Aussies, the little penguin is the smallest species of penguin. They don’t weight much more than a kilogram, but make up for it with their talent for talking—little penguins use a variety of different calls to communicate with one another. They can be found across Australia and New Zealand.
Recognisable from their distinctive eye-to-eye white bands, Gentoo penguins are exclusive to Antarctica and are renowned as the fastest swimming penguins. Their land speed, on the other hand, is far from pacy. Gentoos have an endearingly slow waddle, characterised by their sweeping tails that wiggle back and forth when they walk.
Despite being the most common penguins in the world in terms of total numbers, there is still much to understand about the mysterious macaroni penguin. These birds spend most of their lives in the open ocean, and no one is 100% certain what they do during their long pelagic periods. We do know that macaroni penguins mostly feed on crustaceans, and that their eggs vary drastically in size (the second egg is always larger and more successful than the first, which perishes more often than not).
The second largest penguin species is often overshadowed by its cousin, the Emperor, which has similar markings and behaviour (both balance their eggs on their feet rather than making nests). The king’s range is more diverse; these penguins can be found in countries including Argentine, Chile, Australia, Brazil and South Africa. They only eat every couple of weeks, and when they do hunt it’s a veritable feeding frenzy of squid and fish—these penguins can stay underwater for a whole hour while scouting out their favourite morsels.
The Galapagos Islands are filled with unusual but amazing creatures, and the Galapagos penguin is one such animal: these are the only penguins to live on the equator. Keeping cool can be tricky in such balmy climes. The penguins cover their feet to prevent sunburn and pant like dogs to get rid of excess heat. Other than that, it’s mostly a case of chilling out in the Galapagos’ cool coastal waters. Another remarkable trait of these amazing penguins is their habit of building nests in cooled lava flows.
Penguins are some of the most popular animals around, but did you know that there are 17 recognized species of these lovable birds? They don’t just hang out in Antarctica either: penguins live across the globe, from South America to Australia.
Ranging from the unstoppable emperor penguin to the adorable gentoo penguin and the unlikely Galapagos penguin, each of these aquatic creatures has a uniquely fascinating approach to survival. Learn all about them right here.