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Penguin

DESCRIPTION: Theupright body posture and mostly black-and-white coloration makes penguins easyto distinguish from other birds. As with other marine animals, penguins have afusiform (tapered) shape. The forelimbs are modified into flippers, the tail isshort and wedge-shaped and the hind limbs are set far back on the body, whichis supported on land by webbed feet. Species-specific markings on the head andfacial areas make it easy to tell the adults of most penguin species apart.Male and femalepenguins of most species are not sexually dimorphic. The exception is thecrested penguins in which males are more robust and have larger bills. SIZE: The emperorpenguin is the largest penguin, standing 112 cm tall. The smallest penguin is the fairypenguin, standing just 41 cm. WEIGHT: Of the 17 penguin species, emperor penguins weigh the mostat 27-41 kg.In contrast, the fairy penguin is the lightest, weighing roughly 1 kg. FUN FACTS: All penguinslive south of the equator, from the icy waters of Antarctica to the tropicalGalapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, almost astride the equator. Penguins arespecialized marine birds adapted to living at sea. Some species spend as muchas 75% of their lives in the sea - only coming ashore for breeding and molting.Penguin wings are paddle-like flippers used for swimming, not flying. Penguinshave denser feathers than most other types of birds having as many as 70feathers per square inch. These feathers are spaced very closely and tuftedwith down on the shafts to help keep the penguins warm. Adultpenguins are countershaded (dark dorsal, light ventral) which helps to concealswimming penguins from predators such as killer whales, sharks or leopardseals. When viewed from above, the dark dorsal side blends in with the darkerocean depths. When viewed from beneath, the light ventral side helps in withthe lighter surface of the sea. Antarcticspecies of penguins can move quickly on ice by tobogganing on their belliesusing their flippers and feet to help propel them along. Chinstrappenguins may be the most numerous penguin, with a population estimated at 12-13million. The most vulnerable penguin is the yellow-eyed penguin,which inhabits the coasts and offshore islands of southeast New Zealand. Theyellow-eyed penguin population is estimated at less than 7,000.

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