From projectile poop to 18 different species, Hurtigruten Expeditions resident Penguin Expert, Rob Lidstone-Scott B.Sc. Biology and M.Sc. Ecology, has compiled 12 weird and wonderful facts about penguins.
1) Penguins live in the southern hemisphere. From the most northerly Galapagos penguin (which may venture north of the equator) to the Emperor and Adelié penguins which only breed in Antarctica.
2) The tallest living penguin is the emperor at 1.2m, whilst the smallest is the little penguin at less than 40cm. The six largest penguin species all live in the Antarctic or sub-Antarctic.
3) Penguins are dramatic pooers! A scientific paper in 2003 measured the propulsive force of Adelié penguins and discovered that they have three times the expulsive force of humans – good to know! They can ‘squirt’ up to 1.3m!
4) Adelié penguins are named after the wife of a 19th century French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville. Magellanic penguins are named after the 16th century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
5) There are 18 species of penguin – sort of! As recently as 2021, scientists have suggested that the Gentoo penguin is not a single species, but rather 3 or even 4 species. Certainly, there is a size difference between the larger birds on the Falklands and the smaller gentoos on the Antarctic Peninsula; birds from the north are on average 700 g (1.5 lb) heavier and 10 cm (3.9 in) longer than the southern birds. The southern birds have a neat trick too, they can produce chicks in two months less than their northern cousins – useful in the short Antarctic summer.
6) Penguins breed in colonies, sometimes called ‘rookeries’ – a reference to the term for slums in Dickensian Britain. Some colonies are huge, like the two million strong Chinstrap penguin colony on the South Sandwich Islands. Colonies so large that they were first discovered by satellite, like the 1.5 million Adelié penguins on the Danger Islands; actually, it was their poo that was first spotted by satellite!
7) Penguins are carnivorous, eating fish, krill, squid, octopus, and other small sea creatures. Broadly speaking, smaller penguins consume mainly krill and smaller fish, whereas larger penguins consume larger fish, squid, and octopus. Male Emperor penguins will go without food for up to 115 days, whilst they incubate the single egg on their feet through the harsh Antarctic winter.
8) Gentoo penguins build a nest, using pebbles and a few old feathers. Pebbles are a major currency in gentoo courtship – a steady supply of pebbles is much better than a bunch of roses! Pebbles can be acquired through legitimate labour but pinching them from someone else’s nest is a popular shortcut. Some individuals even resort to highway robbery, mugging other pebble-carriers as they pass by.
9) Emperor penguins dive deeper than any other bird. Most of their dives are between 100 and 200 m but occasionally they go a lot deeper. The deepest dive ever recorded was an incredible 565 m deep, the dive lasting 22 minutes.
Closer to the surface, gentoos are the fastest swimming penguin, reaching speeds of 36km/h (22mph).
10) Penguins are mostly monogamous or perhaps, more correctly, serially monogamous – they form a couple for a season but may have a different mate in the following year. The magnificent king penguins are only 29% faithful from one year to the next.
Some species are more faithful – a pair of Magellanic penguins have been recorded together for 16 years, heading towards their silver wedding anniversary. Chinstraps & gentoos appear quite faithful, joining up with last year’s mate 82% and 90% of the time.
11) Most birds moult (lose feathers and regrow them) a few at a time throughout the year, but penguins lose them all at once – this is known as ‘catastrophic moult’. Unable to go to sea and swim for food, they stand around looking thoroughly miserable while the new feathers grow.
12) Apart from the descriptively named little blue penguin from Australasia, most penguins are black and white, a common theme for seabirds as it gives camouflage from above (against predators) and below (against prey). Occasionally, the black & white theme fails as in the example of ‘Lucy’ – she is leucistic, a genetically-determined lack of dark pigment making her weirdly pale.
Hurtigruten Expeditions supported the Norwegian Polar Institute investigating chinstrap penguin feeding behaviour in order to provide data for the management of krill fisheries. Through collaborations with scientific institutions worldwide, participation in Citizen Science projects, and onboard lecture program and educational activities, Hurtigruten Expeditions Science & Education Program adds value to the guest experience.
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