The Species
 

Images: 

  • Top right: An Emperor Penguin tending to its young. Source
  • Top middle: A group of Emperor Penguns. Source
  • Middle left: A Blue Penguin navigating the rocks of its habitat. Source
  • Bottom left: A Royal Penguin playing in the water. SSource
  • Bottom right: A Rockhopper Penguin showing why it has its name. Source

The Species:

Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri):

 Living only on the final human-less continent of the world, Antarctica, one can find the great emperor penguin.  Living in the hostile environment of Antarctic, these penguins face harsh temperatures that routinely are below zero.  These penguins are the only breed in the Antarctic who mate in the winter, and they eat mainly crustaceans, such as oysters and shellfish.  They are on average, three feet nine inches tall and they normally live for around 20 years, though several subjects had been documented at nearly 40 years old! 

Emperor Penguins are very social figures; feeding and nesting in large groups who they huddle together with for warmth in severe weather.  The sexually mature adults, who are usually around five years old, migrate between the ocean and the nesting areas for most of the year, and from January to March, the penguins break apart into the ocean, living and traveling in groups.  The men incubate the eggs between their feet for around two months, not eating at all and surviving on their body fat. 

They dive to depths of 150 to 250 meters in order to search for food and they are able to hold their breath for nearly 20 minutes!  While on land, the penguins either waddle or use their paddle-like fins in order to slide across the ice for short bursts. All in all, with the 150,000 to 200,000 breeding pairs across the Antarctic, the species is considered stable. 

Little (Blue) Penguin (Eudyptula minor):

Found only in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia and New Zealand lives the tiny, aptly named Little Penguin or Blue Penguin. The Blue Penguins, because of their size, rarely grow to be half a meter tall, and their distinctive coat sets them apart from other penguins.  These penguins, who live in inlets and bays around the coastline of the two landmasses, eat a variety of fish and large squid.

The penguins build their nests about half of an inch deep in the sand and then lay their eggs which totals to be two.  Like other penguins, one parent stays near the nest to guard the eggs and the chicks until they are 65 days old. After which the chicks move out to sea and off of the beach.  These penguins conduct an odd “penguin parade” where the penguins wait until dusk and then they scurry in little groups up onto the beach from the ocean.  This action is largely observed and can be visited at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Due to invasion of their habitat by humans and various other human influences, the population has dwindled down to little more than 1,000,000 in Australia and its surrounding islands, where the birds’ colonies are most commonly found.

Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)

Found only in the Southern Hemisphere also, lives the Royal Penguin; living in a small, concentrated area around and on New Zealand and on the Macquarie Islands.  These birds usually grow to be between 26 and 30 inches, and are normally around 12 pounds, though the females are normally smaller than the males.  These birds, like most other penguins live nearly their entire lives at sea, and they eat small fish and squid in the correct seasons.   

These penguins are of the crested variety, which means their feathers stick up and out from the top of their heads. This gives them their distinct “crown” on their foreheads, which is believed to be the source of the naming of the animal.  The penguins also lay their eggs on the shoreline, lining the nest with rocks and plants in order to keep out predators. The Royal Penguin as well only lays two eggs, one of which will survive.  The parents incubate the eggs for 35 days, switching, on average, every twelve days.  After birth, the male protects the chick for around ten days while the female gathers food.  When the chick is 65 days old, it is able to go out on its own into the wild.   

These penguins are listed as “vulnerable” by many organizations because their small concentration can be destroyed by one catastrophe, natural or artificial. 

Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)

Living only on Antarctic islands, the Rockhopper penguin can be found in high concentrations on the various areas of the continent.  The penguins normally grow to be between 16 and 18 inches tall, and they are normally around 6 pounds, though at points throughout the year the body fat percentage fluxuates. 

They mainly feed on small varieties of squid, though their main diet consists of a substantial amount of krill.  Like their cousin, the Royal Penguin, the Rockhopper is also of the crested variety, having feathers atop their heads that form a crown shape. Their most distinctive characteristic is their bright red eyes, unique for penguins.  These animals were appropriately dubbed their name because they hop from rock to rock in their native habitat, which is very unstable and jagged.  The Rockhoppers have been called by many scientists “bad-tempered”, “vicious”, and “fearless” because of their intense use of their sharp beaks in order to win fights between other penguins and to keep outsiders away from their nests.

The Rockhopper’s nest consists of small, lined holes where one of the two eggs laid is born and incubated for around three months.  These penguins were once hunted for their body fat, which was used as oil. Today, because of this poaching they are protected and “vulnerable”, having only 1,882,000 breeding pairs in existence