Other distinguishing features include a bright orange bill and orange feet. The Gentoo penguin is found in several island groups in the sub-Antarctic region, including the Falkland Islands and South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and the Kerguelen Islands also called the desolation Islands in the southern Indian Ocean.
The African penguin is found on islands off the south-western coast of Africa. There are two breeding colonies on the African mainland itself. These are located near Cape Town in South Africa. The African penguin is one of the smaller types of penguin. It has a black face and bill. On its white chest is a black marking in the shape of an upside-down U.
This is an adaption to help with thermoregulation i. When it is warm, more blood is sent to this area of skin. The extra blood also makes the pink area look darker in color. The Humboldt penguin is a medium-sized penguin. It has a black face that is surrounded by a strip of white. Under its bill is a patch of fleshy pink skin.
It is occasionally also seen further north in Ecuador and Columbia. The Humboldt penguin takes its name from the Humboldt Current. This is a current of cold water that flows northwards along the western coast of South America. The Humboldt Current itself was discovered by the Prussian naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt. The Magellanic penguin is the commonest of the banded penguins. It is a medium-large penguin with a black band running across its white chest and under its wings.
Its face is black with a white border. The Galapagos penguin is only found on the Galapagos Islands — a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Galapagos Islands lie on the Equator, thereby making the Galapagos penguin the only penguin found in the northern hemisphere in the wild. The Galapagos penguin is the second smallest type of penguin after the little penguin s. It has a black face which is ringed by a narrow white line. Its white chest is surrounded by a black band. Southern rockhopper penguins are the smallest of the crested penguins.
Northern rockhopper penguins. Northern rockhopper penguins breed on seven islands or island groups in the temperate Indian and South Atlantic oceans. Royal penguins have distinctive yellow plumes on their heads, which meet on the forehead. This content was last updated 1 year ago on 13 October Back to About Antarctica.
These penguins breed along the coasts of New Zealand's South Island, as well as other nearby islands. The penguins are medium-sized, measuring about 62 to 79 cm in length. The penguins have a bright yellow band running from the eyes around the back of the head.
Individuals live as long as 20 years. The yellow-eyed penguin has a population of only about 4, individuals and is thus an endangered species. Introduced predators and destruction of habitat are the biggest threats to these penguins.
The African penguin Spheniscus demersus has a range confined to the African waters. The penguins possess a black facial mask and distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes. The penguins live in colonies spread across 24 islands between Algoa Bay and Namibia, where they forage for pelagic fish and marine invertebrates in the coastal waters. The African penguin is one of the most threatened species of penguins living today and has been classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
Historical exploitation of the penguins for meat, removal of guano which served as burrowing grounds for the penguins for fertilizer preparation, oil spills, and competition by fisheries are some of the biggest threats facing the penguin population.
The penguin is 49 cm long and about 2. These penguins are found primarily on the Fernandina Island and Iasabela Island of the Galapagos but small populations are also scattered throughout other islands. The penguins feed on small schooling fish and occasionally crustaceans. The Humboldt penguin Spheniscus humboldti is a species of penguin living in South America.
Coastal Chile and Peru serve as the breeding grounds of these penguins. The Humboldt penguin is named after the cold water current of the same name through which it swims. The penguins range in size from 56 to 70 cm. They feature a black head where a white border that runs from the top of both the eyes, around the ear covers and chin, to join at the throat. Climate change, over-fishing, and ocean acidification are the biggest threats to the survival of this penguin species.
The Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus breeds in the coastal areas of Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. Some of these penguins even migrate to Brazil and are occasionally sighted in the coastal waters of Rio de Janeiro. The penguins grow to attain lengths of 61—76 cm. A recent genetic study in Ecology and Evolution has revealed that not only are those two subspecies actually distinct species, but the Subantarctic variety is actually divided into three!
These proposed 4 gentoo species divisions are not yet verified, but it seems certain that they will at least be regarded as new subspecies of Pygoscelis papua.
Gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua are larger than the other types of gentoos, even though those are the ones you most likely recognise from photos. These gentoos inhabit the Falkland Islands, but are also considered inhabitants of other southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans islands, such as Marion Island, in definitions that do not include the two new species.
They make their nests from mounds of grass collected near their beaches. Ellsworth's gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii , proposed Pygoscelis ellsworthii live exclusively on the coast of Antarctica. They look virtually identical to their non-Antarctic counterparts, but are significantly smaller - a possible adaptation to food scarcity in the colder Antarctic waters.
These gentoos have also adapted to next on gravelly beaches and the mouths of rocky glacial valleys on the Western Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands.
Despite its name, the colour pattern of the Kerguelen gentoo Pygoscelis taeniata is virtually identical to other gentoos. Originally described as a member of the Pygoscelis papua papua subspecies, these small gentoos are now being more commonly regarded as a distinct species - with some speculating that they may be further divided in future. South Georgia gentoos Pygoscelis poncetii are the second-largest type of gentoo penguin, although they too have the identical colour pattern.
They are otherwise similar in lifestyle to other island-dwelling gentoos, although it has been noted that their population is in decline due to depleting fish stocks in their local waters. Until recently, New Zealand's little penguins were recognised as different subspecies of Eudyptula minor. When genetic testing was done to determine if these subspecies were significant, it was determined that they are all genetically similar , and thus no longer considered separate. Still, they are cute enough to share with you.
The diminutive white-flippered penguins Eudyptula minor albosignata live only in a few small colonies on the tiny islands on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Not only are they unique among little penguins for the white markings on the flippers, but they are the only nocturnal penguin. Cook Strait little penguins Eudyptula minor variabilis inhabit the southern end of the northern island of New Zealand. Northern little penguins Eudyptula minor iredalei live at the northern end of the northern island of New Zealand.
If you've read this far, you may be wondering why some of these penguins are regarded as their own species, but others aren't. Why are the white-flippered penguins and fairy penguins the same species, but the Macaroni and royal penguins are different? We'll try to keep this simple:. The fact that many penguin types are geographically isolated from each other creates difficulty in determining their status as species, but with more research and genetic testing, this list will be narrowed down further.
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