Antarctic Penguins

With their sway-backed upright posture, smart black-and-white coloration and endearing waddling gait, penguins are perhaps the most distinctive of birds.   Many people think of penguins as Antarctic, but in fact only four species - the Emperor, the Adelie, the Chinstrap and the Gentoo - breed on the Antarctic Continent proper, while seven even others live and breed south of the Polar Front that defines the far southern oceans.   Because penguins are flightless and must feed in cool waters, they cannot travel across the warm waters of the tropics to inhabit the northern hemisphere.

Grouped scientifically into about 17 species, penguins are highly specialized, non-flying, marine birds, ranging in size from the Little Penguin at 2.25 pounds in weight and 16 inches in height, to the Emperor Penguin which weighs up to 84 pounds and reaches 45 inches in height.   Male penguins are generally heavier than females and have larger, more powerful bills and longer flippers.   All have dark backs and white fronts and each species has a unique pattern, in some cases including orange and yellow, around the head and chest.

Unlike most other seabirds, penguins have lost the ability to fly, so that they do not need to minimize thier weight.   Their feathers have also modified from flying equipment to waterproof insulation, thickening the birds up and shaping them to hold air agains the body.   Swimming compresses their feathers and gradually forces out the insulating layer of air, so that a swimming penguin leaves a fine trail of bubbles.