15 Interesting Penguin Facts

Penguins are flipper birds and dont have regular wings. There are less than twenty known species of penguins and they all found in the southern hemisphere. Apart from Antarctica, they are also seen in the regions of South America, South Africa, New Zealand and many pacific islands. They are one of the most easily adaptable birds that can be seen in the numerous zoos and “Sea Worlds” around the world. Let me tell you some of the Penguin facts,

Interesting Penguin Facts

• The only penguin seen in the Northern hemisphere is Galapagos penguin, however, it will be the rare case they are at South hemisphere when food is scarce.
• Penguins are excellent swimmers with a speed of 15-20 miles per hour. They are capable of holding their breath for 20 minutes and can dive deeper than any other bird.

Also Read: 15 Interesting Flamingo Facts

• Penguins visibility inside water is better than on the ground. This will definitely help them in avoiding predators when they are searching for food.

• The natural predators of penguins are orcas, seals, sharks, snakes and more.
• Penguins are carnivorous and love to eat shrimps, krill, squids, fish and more.
• The dark coloured back of the Penguins provide excellent camouflage in the water and they are not visible from above because of blend with water and the white bellies can’t be seen from below because of blend with the sky.
• Penguins usually have seen in the group of thousand to ten thousand couples and listed as one of the most social animals in the world.
• Penguins used to communicate with each other by using heads and flippers. Sometimes, they also communicate by producing sound.

• The feather of penguin is dense and lubricated with oil. Also, the thick layer of skin and blubber provide them protection from the low temperature.
• The two species of penguin Emperor and king penguins don’t form a nest for hatching eggs. Female species lays one egg and the father takes care of it until it hatches. Father penguin used to protect it by covering the egg with a flap of skin called a brood pouch. Father also makes sure that the egg is warm from 8-10 weeks. During the whole timeline, father won’t eat and loses up to half of his body mass before the chick is hatched.

• If somehow Penguin loses a chick it can steal another one from another family.
• The smallest type of penguin is known as Fairy penguin which weighs around 2 pounds and the largest known penguin is Emperor penguin that can weight upto 90 pounds.
• Yellow-eyed penguin can be found near New Zealand and listed as one of the rarest species of penguin. Only 5,000 of them left in the wild.
• Out of 20 known species of penguin, 5 species are endangered.
• The lifespan of penguin is around 15 and 20 years that vary with the species.

These are some of the interesting penguin facts. Kindly share and do post your comments.