Even More About Antarctic Penguins!

© Peppermint Narwhal Creative

In my last post, I began describing "The Eight Great Penguin Species of Antarctica" and introduced the first four on the article's list. Here are the other four species of penguin that live in the Antarctic region, starting with #5.

By the way, if ever you see a commercial or TV program that shows a polar bear together with a penguin, know that this is factually inaccurate! Polar bears are from the Arctic north, whereas penguins live only in the southern hemisphere. Now you know... if you didn't already.

5. Macaronis
These island-dwelling crested penguins are the ones with the distinctive yellow and gold tufts of feathers atop their heads. In the process of sharing incubating duties, adult macaronis lose up to half their body weight! Talk about energy expense.

6. Rockhoppers
There are three distinct species of rockhopper penguins, based on reproductive behavior and breeding location: northern, southern, and eastern. Rockhoppers are one of the smallest penguin species, and get their name from their preferred habitat of rocky, windswept shorelines on the islands north of Antarctica. On Antarctic voyages, mostly northern and southern rockhopper penguins are spotted.

7. Magellanics
These penguins are named after the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan, and are closely related to Galápagos penguins, Humboldt penguins, and African penguins. They tend to be shy around humans (aww), and if it gets too hot, they will shed beak feathers, pant, and stretch their flippers to catch a breeze. Magellanic penguins are comparably long-living, reaching around 25 years in the wild.

8. Kings
King penguins are so much fun! They are the second-largest penguin species after emperors, and the most marine of all penguins - and indeed all birds, spending more time at sea than any other. King penguins can dive to depths of more than 300 meters to pursue prey, staying underwater for up to nine minutes... amazing! They are highly social birds that gather in massive colonies. King penguins are known by scientists to have mid-afternoon naps, sleeping more deeply after lunch than during the morning (I can soooo relate).

There ya have it: a summary of the eight penguin species of Antarctica. I'm hoping hubs and I can check off seeing at least four on our trip. We'll just have to see what happens!

© Peppermint Narwhal Creative