The New Childrens Encyclopedia

106

Penguins

Agile and speedy in the water,

penguins more than make up for

their inability to fly. These birds

hunt fish, krill, and squid in the

waters of the southern hemisphere.

In the warmer months, they come

onto land to breed in large colonies.

O

Height 26–28 in (66–70 cm)

O

Weight 12 lb (5.5 kg)

O

Location New Zealand

Fewer than 4,000 of

these rare penguins

live on the islands

of southern New

Zealand. The

striking yellow eye-

stripe gives them

their common name.

Yellow-eyed penguin

Megadyptes antipodes

O

Height 20 in (50 cm)

O

Weight 5½ lb (2.5 kg)

O

Location Sub-Antarctic

These small, crested

penguins take their

common name from the

way they hop as they

move around their rocky

colonies on the islands of

the sub-Antarctic.

Rockhopper penguin

Eudyptes chrysocome

O

Height 43 in (110 cm)

O

Weight 77–88 lb (35–40 kg)

O

Location Antarctica

Emperor penguins breed in

the winter. The female lays

a single egg and leaves it

with the male. The male

rests the egg on his feet,

under his belly, and

incubates it for about

21 ⁄ 2 months.

Emperor penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

Swimming

Emperor penguins have sleek,

streamlined bodies and flattened

wings, or flippers, to cut through

the water. Dense feathers and a

thick layer of blubber keep them

warm in the icy Antarctic waters.

O

Height 16–30 in (40–75 cm)

O

Weight 10–12 lb (4–5.5 kg)

O

Location Antarctica

One of the smallest and most

abundant of all penguins, the

Adélie spends most of the winter

at sea but then comes ashore in the

summer to breed. Mating pairs

build nests in large colonies, which

offers protection from egg thieves

such as skuas (seabirds).

Adélie penguin

Pygoscelis adeliae

Huddling

When they are seven weeks old,

emperor penguin chicks huddle

together in a “creche” to keep

warm. The fluffy gray down

feathers of the chicks also trap

body heat, insulating them from

the cold Antarctic winds.

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