How Tall Do Penguins Get?
Penguin heights range from 14 inches to just over 4 feet. (.35 to 1.21 meters.) The answer varies by penguin species. At just 14 inches at maximum height, the Australian little penguin that’s native to Western Australia and New Zealand is the smallest penguin species in the world. Some other penguins can grow as tall as the average eight-year-old human!
What is the tallest penguin?
The emperor penguin is the tallest penguin known on the planet today. How tall do penguins get? Emperor penguins reach between 3.6 and 4.3 feet (1.1 to 1.31 meters) in height when fully grown. However, fossils belonging to massive penguins that stood at over 6 feet tall (1.82 meters) have been discovered in the Antarctic.
How heavy is a penguin?
Emperor penguins can weigh between 49 pounds and 90 pounds. (22.22 to 40.82 kg.) Most weigh just over 50 pounds. (22.67 kg.) The little penguin of Australia and New Zealand can weigh up to 3.3 pounds. (1.49 kg.)
Where do penguins live?
Penguins live almost exclusively below the equator in the Southern Hemisphere. They are generally found near the South Pole. The list of countries and continents with native penguins includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, Ecuador, South Africa, Namibia, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.
How old do penguins live for?
Life spans vary by species. Emperor penguins live up to 20 years. Little penguins live for up to six years.
What do penguins eat?
Penguins are carnivores that eat what they find in the sea. A penguin’s diet mostly consists of a shrimp-like crustacean called krill. Diet can vary slightly based on what’s available where penguins live. Penguins spend most of their day swimming for fish to eat!
Is a penguin a bird?
There is some debate about how to classify penguins because of how unique these creatures are! The answer is that penguins are officially considered to be “aquatic flightless birds.”
What are some species of penguins?
In addition to being the largest penguin species, the emperor penguin is the most widely known type of penguin. However, there are up to 20 other types of penguins waddling around the globe!
Here’s a list of some interesting penguins to know about from different parts of the world:
African Black-Footed Penguins: Living in South Africa and Namibia, these noisy songbirds are the only penguins native to the continent of Africa.
Adélie Penguins: These classic black-and-white penguins spread their habitat across the entire coast of Antarctica.
King Penguins: Found in the frozen islands of the lower Atlantic Ocean, these vibrantly colored penguins are only slightly smaller than emperor penguins.
Macaroni Penguins: The most abundant penguin species in the world, the Macaroni is found throughout parts of Australia, South America and Antarctica.
Snares Penguins: Known to nest in coastal areas in New Zealand, these crested beauties are very rare to find!
Galápagos Penguins: Found on the Galápagos archipelago, these banded stunners are quite petite.
Royal Penguins: Found solely on a sub-Antarctic island called Macquarie, these crested penguins are believed to be closely related to Macaroni penguins. Some scientists even argue that they are the same species!
Eastern Rockhopper Penguins: Inhabiting a number of sub-Antarctic islands peppered through the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, these penguins are rarely seen by humans.
Fiordland Penguins: The only penguins to live in a rainforest environment, these smallish penguins are native to New Zealand.
Ellsworth’s Gentoo Penguins: Found on gravel beaches and glacial valleys of the Western Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands and the South Orkney Islands, these small beauties have adapted to thrive in some of the harshest conditions.
Northern Rockhopper Penguins: Found only on the uninhabited lands of Gough Island and Tristan da Cunha, these small birds are known to be playful and curious.
Researchers are constantly learning more about penguins around the world!
It can be difficult to tell if some types of penguins are actually separate species because of the similarities that are shared. Penguin weights, heights, plumage and eating habits evolve to fit the landscape where different penguins live.
Do Polar Bear Eat Penguins?
Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, while Polar Bears live in the Northern Hemisphere. Because the two don’t come into contact with each other, the answer is no, polar bears don’t eat penguins.
