- Penguins are marine birds that are adapted to living an aquatic life.
- The body of penguins is so countershaded that it provides perfect camouflage.
- The small penguins dive in shallow waters.
- Penguins cannot fly instead they use their wings as flippers to swim.
- They remain submerged for as long as 1 – 2 minutes.
- The emperor penguin holds the record of spending the maximum time in water. It remained submerged for 22 minutes reaching depths of about 565 m (1,854 ft).
- The insulating layer of dense feathers keeps the penguin warm.
- King penguins and emperor penguins do not build nest. They carry eggs on their feet.
Size & Weight
BODY-LENGTH: 17.7–51.2 in (45–130 cm)
WEIGHT: 1.8–88 lb (842 g–40 kg)
Temperate zones, marine coastal areas
Antarctica, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Falkland Islands, Galapagos Islands, South America
Small fish, crustaceans, squid
Number of Eggs
1 – 2 eggs
33 – 64 days
King, Emperor, Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo, Little Blue, White-flappered, Magellanic, Humboldt, Galapagos, African, Yellow-eyed, Waitaha, Fiordland, Snares, Erect-crested, Western Rockhopper, Eastern Rockhopper, Northern Rockhopper, Royal, Macaroni, Chatham
2 – 5 years
AVERAGE: 6 to 12 km/h (3.7 to 7.5 mph)
TOP: 27 km/h (17 mph)
100 – 100,000
Shark, orca, leopard seal
Endangered: 3 species
Vulnerable: 7 species;
Lower Risk: 2 species