
Penguin species: Emperor penguin, King penguin, Adelie, Rockhopper, Blue penguin, Macaroni, African (Jackass), Gentoo, Chinstrap, Little Blue (Fairy) / White-flippered, Erect-crested, Fjordland, Royal, Snares, Galapagos, Magellanic, Humboldt and Yellow-eyed The 17 penguin species Information on penguins
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List of Penguin Species:
- Adelie Penguin.
- African Penguin.
- Chinstrap Penguin.
- Emperor Penguin.
- Erect-Crested Penguin.
- Fiordland Penguin.
- Galapagos Penguin.
- Gentoo Penguin.
Are there actually multiple species of penguins?
There are 17 species of penguins in the world, and all of them special and worthy of recognition. Here are some facts about every species of penguin, to brighten your day and bring a smile to your face. Adelie Penguins. Adelie are the smallest species of penguins who live in Antarctica. Their numbers are actually increasing, despite climate change.
Are there 17 types of penguins?
What are all 17 species of penguins?
- Adelie Penguin.
- African Penguin.
- Chinstrap Penguin.
- Emperor Penguin.
- Erect-Crested Penguin.
- Fiordland Penguin.
- Galapagos Penguin.
- Gentoo Penguin.
Where do all 17 penguins live?
- King Penguins are found in Tierra del Fuego, Subarctic islands and South Georgia Island.
- Chinstrap Penguins are found in Antarctica, South Sandwich Islands, South Shetland, South Orkneys, South Georgia Island Bouvet, Peter Islands and Balleny.
- Little Blue Penguins live in New Zealand, Southern Australia, Tasmania and Chatham Islands.
What are some interesting facts about penguins?
- 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 ...

What are the 17 penguin species?
These include: the Snares penguin, Galápagos penguin, African penguin, Adélie penguin, Humboldt penguin, rockhopper penguin, emperor penguin, royal penguin, macaroni penguin, gentoo penguin, Fiordland penguin, chinstrap penguin, king penguin, little blue/fairy penguin, yellow eyed penguin, Magellanic penguin and the ...
What are the 18 species of penguins?
The eighteen species are Emperor, King, Royal, Adelie, Macaroni, Gentoo, Galapagos, Magellanic, Humboldt, African, Snares, Fiordland, Little Blue, Yellow Eye, Erect Crested, Northern Rockhopper, Southern Rockhopper, and Chinstrap.
Are there 20 types of penguins?
Of 17 penguin species worldwide, 7 are found in Antarctica, 4 of these live and nest on and around the Antarctic continent and a further 3 live and nest on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.
How many species of penguins are there?
Facts. Penguins are a family of 17 to 19 species of birds that live primarily in the Southern Hemisphere.
How tall is a mega penguin?
The team estimates that the bird was 1.77 metres tall and weighed more than 100 kilograms, making it one of the largest penguins ever to have lived.
What type of penguin is Happy Feet?
"Happy Feet" features three penguin species -- not only emperors ("Mumble") but Adelies ("Ramon") and rockhoppers ("Lovelace"), says Reichert -- and ends with what appears to be a United Nations ban on fishing in Antarctica and plenty of food for all penguins.
Are there orange penguins?
King Penguin What is this? They have orange-colored ear patches and a thin strip on their upper chests. They form large colonies with hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs. King Penguins mainly eat lantern fish during the breeding season and lots of squid in the frigid winter months.
What penguin is the biggest?
Palaeeudyptes klekowskiiPenguins / BiggestPalaeeudyptes klekowskii, also known as the colossus penguin, was a species of the extinct penguin genus Palaeeudyptes. Wikipedia
Can penguins fly yes or no?
No, technically penguins cannot fly. Penguins are birds, so they do have wings. However, the wing structures of penguins are evolved for swimming, rather than flying in the traditional sense. Penguins swim underwater at speeds of up to 15 to 25 miles per hour .
Are there more than 10 species of penguins?
Penguin species from Antarctica to the Falklands There are 17 species of penguin on the planet, but the eight you'll most likely recognize live in Antarctica, its nearby islands, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of South Georgia and the Falklands.
Is a puffin a penguin?
Puffins and penguins are found on different branches of the family tree. Puffins are in the family Alcidae and are known as alcids; penguins are in the family Spheniscidae. In addition to Atlantic puffins, two other species of alcids can be found in our Sea Cliffs exhibit: razorbills and guillemots.
How many penguins are left?
How Many Penguins Are There? There are 30-31 million penguins left which are split across 18 different species. The most common species is the Adelie penguin which has a population of 10 million whilst the smallest population species is the Galapagos penguin which has a population of just 1,200.
Where do all 17 penguins live?
AntarcticaPenguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest concentrations are on Antarctic coasts and sub-Antarctic islands. There are 18 species of penguins, 5 of which live in Antarctica. Another 4 species live on sub-Antarctic islands.
How many of the 18 penguin species are listed as near threatened threatened or endangered?
According to Birdlife International, 10 of the world's 18 penguin species are considered endangered. Of the 8 Antarctic penguin species two are vulnerable, two are near-threatened and the others have healthy populations.
Are there more than 10 species of penguins?
Penguin species from Antarctica to the Falklands There are 17 species of penguin on the planet, but the eight you'll most likely recognize live in Antarctica, its nearby islands, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of South Georgia and the Falklands.
What species is a penguin?
Penguins (order Sphenisciformes /sfɪˈnɪsɪfɔːrmiːz/, family Spheniscidae /sfɪˈnɪsɪdiː/) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator.
How many types of penguins are there?
Currently there are 18 main types of penguins and 9 different penguin subspecies have been identified and classified in the bird order – Sphenisciformes.
How many penguins are there in the world?
Interestingly enough, no penguin species are found in the northern hemisphere. Overall, there are about 18 known species of penguins in the world. Let’s explore all types of penguins below:
What is the yellow crest on a penguin?
Erect-crested penguins are considered to be one of the largest species of crested penguins. And like other crested penguins, members of this species bear the distinguishing feature of a yellow feather stripe above their eyes that extends from their bills. Unlike other species of crested penguins, the Erect-crested penguin can move this yellow crest ...
Why are African penguins endangered?
African penguins have unique pink skin patches above their eyes which help in thermoregulation. Currently, it is classified as Endangered due to declining population due to habitat loss.
What is the only penguin that lives in the Galapagos Islands?
Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus Mendiculus) As its name suggests, the Galapagos penguin is the only penguin species endemic to Galapagos Islands and the north equator. As such, this is the only known penguin species that live further north.
What are penguins' food sources?
The ocean creatures such as squid, krill fish and other forms of sea life are the primary food source for penguins. Interestingly enough, no penguin species are found in the northern hemisphere. Overall, there are about 18 known species of ...
Where do Adelie penguins live?
The Adélie penguin is endemic to the Antarctic continent. They play a vital part in Antarctica’s food chain as both prey and predator. Adelie penguin feeds on krill fish as a predator, and as prey, leopard seals and killer whales eat them. Adélie penguin got its name from Adelie land, which was named for Adele Dumont d’Urville, who marred a French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville.
What is the largest penguin in the world?
Emperor Penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri) It is the largest penguin in the world, with an incredible capability to dive deep waters. It performs one of the hardest migrations in the animal kingdom to reach its nesting grounds in Antartica which suppose a high resistance to withstand freezing temperatures.
Where do African penguins live?
The African penguin, also known as Jackass Penguin, is a small banded species with a social behavior that inhabits the warm environments of South Africa and part of the coast of Namibia. Chinstrap Penguin ( Pygoscelis antarcticus)
What penguin has a white stripe around its eyes?
Gentoo Penguin ( Pygoscelis papua) It is one of the most recognizable penguins because a white stripe around the eyes that goes through the head. There are two subspecies of this penguin which is part of the group of Brush-tailed Penguins and is the largest species of its genus. Adelie Penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae)
What is the name of the penguin with a white circle?
Adelie Penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae) The Adelie Penguin is a species with one of the most stable populations of all penguins. Their distinctive eyes rounded by a white circle that contrasts with the completely black head, help to recognize them. It is one of the two species that spend their life in Antartica.
What do Macaroni Penguins eat?
It is one of the most migratory, aggressive and territorial, penguins and prefers to feed on fish and squid. The Fiordland penguin is a crested penguin native to West New Zealand which inhabits the Fiordland region of this country.
What is the African penguin?
African Penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) The African penguin, also known as Jackass Penguin, is a small banded species with a social behavior that inhabits the warm environments ...
Where are erect crested penguins native to?
Erect-crested Penguin. (Eudyptes sclateri) The Erect-crested Penguin are native to the Antipodes and Bounty Islands , a pair of remote places protected from human activity by the government of New Zealand, which make them hard to see. Despite this, it is one of the species most threatened penguin species.
How many types of penguins are there?
Researchers believe that there are anywhere from 17 to 21 different types of penguins. The most widely accepted number of penguins is 19. But more research is needed to determine whether certain penguin types are subspecies or species in their own right.
Which penguins are the most populous?
Of all the banded penguin species, the Magellanic penguins are easily the most populous. They generally travel in huge flocks and they form densely-packed colonies in bushes or borrows during the nesting season.
What is the name of the penguin with a long tail?
The genus Pygoscelis contains the 3 species that are collectively known as the brush-tailed penguins. They all share a characteristically long set of tail feathers, but their unique feather patterns make them easy to tell apart. Let’s take a look at these incredible birds.
How big is a rockhopper penguin?
Southern rockhoppers are the smallest crested penguins with an average height of no more than 23 inches (58 cm) and a maximum weight of around 7.5 lbs (4.4 kg). They are difficult to distinguish from other rockhoppers, but the southern species normally has smaller yellow crest feathers.
Where do gentoo penguins live?
Our personal favorite penguin (don’t tell the others!), the gentoo penguin ( Pygoscelis papua) is a large flightless bird that lives in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. There are technically 2 subspecies of gentoo that are split geographically, but recent research suggests that there may actually be 4 subspecies.
How big are little penguins?
Adult little penguins are normally no more than 13 inches (33 cm) tall and they usually weigh around 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg).
What is the northernmost penguin?
The northernmost penguin species on the planet, the Galápagos penguin ( Spheniscus mendiculus) is a small, but easily identifiable bird that’s closely related to its Magellanic and Humboldt neighbors.

Genus Aptendoytes
Genus Pygoscelis
- The genus Pygoscelis contains the 3 species that are collectively known as the brush-tailed penguins.They all share a characteristically long set of tail feathers, but their unique feather patterns make them easy to tell apart. Let’s take a look at these incredible birds.
Genus Eudyptula
- If you’re looking for birds that are out-of-this-world cute, the two members of the genus Eudyptulaare your go-to. Also called the little penguins, these two birds are astonishingly tiny. Here’s what you need to know about these fascinating penguins.
Genus Spheniscus
- Next up on our list, we have the so-called banded penguins of the genus Spheniscus. These fantastic birds all feature similar striped patterns on their faces and bodies and they make very loud noises that sound like a braying donkey. This is what you need to know.
Genus Megadyptes
- The genus Megadyptes contains just one living penguin species. There are at least two extinct species of Megadyptespenguins, but only the yellow-eyed penguin still waddles around this Earth.
Genus Eudyptes
- Finally, we have the genus Eudyptes, which includes all of the penguins that are commonly referred to as the crested penguins. Identifying each of these species can be a challenge because they all share a characteristic band of tufted yellow crests near their eyes. However, a keen attention to detail can help you become a whiz at identifying crested penguins. Let’s take a close…