Different Types of Penguins

Decked in black jackets, these stout figures wobbled across the icy plain in great haste. Perhaps it was their eagerness to plunge into the icy cold water or maybe in a bid to out do each other, these creatures rushed across the ground as if they were in a big hurry!

Penguins are flightless birds that remain to be excellent swimmers. These aquatic animals are mostly native to the Southern Hemisphere. As per common knowledge, it is believed that penguins are generally found only in cold climates although there are certain types of penguins that live in temperate areas as well. On an average, around 20 species of penguins can be found. There is great debate as to various penguin species as some types of Penguins are considered to be separate species in totality. Let is take a look at various types of penguins that are found in different places all over the globe.

Different Types of Penguins:

King Penguins:
King Penguins can be considered to be the second largest types of penguins seen today. King Penguins generally occur in the sub-Antarctic islands, which are in the northern areas of the Antarctic. The King Penguin is around 90 cms in height and has an average weight of around 14-16 kgs. The wings of the King Penguins are used as flippers when in water which is the characteristic feature of all penguins. Male King Penguins are larger than the females. These types of penguins have a bluish grey shade on the outer side. The belly area is white in color and the color turns a shade of black towards the head region. On an average, the swimming speed of King penguins is around 6.5 km/h.

Emperor Penguins:
These types of penguins are the largest and also the heaviest penguins that are seen today. The Emperor penguins are known for their long journeys that are made in their endeavor to mate every year. An adult Emperor penguin can weigh around 35 kgs. The belly area is white in color and turns a shade of pale yellow towards the upper area. Black feathers cover head area and all along the back as well. When compared to other species of birds, Emperor penguins can live and breed in the coldest environments. Emperor penguins are excellent swimmers; these have a speed of around 9 km/h. When on land, it wobbles like all other penguins.

Adelie Penguins:
These types of penguins are found all along the Antarctic coast as well as along the neighboring islands. Adelie penguins are around 30-50 cms in length and weigh around 4.5 kg. They also have long feathers that cover a major portion of the red colored bill. Apart from eating fish and krill, the Adelie penguins are known to eat snow as well! They are also easily distinguished due to a white ring that is seen around the eye. The Adelie penguins are also amongst the smallest of the Antarctic penguins. Another interesting fact about the Adelie penguins is that they build their nests by piling stones together. The males are known to look after the eggs. Being very strong and skilled swimmers, the Adelie penguins can jump out straight onto the land while in water.

Rockhopper Penguins:
Rockhopper penguins are found on almost all types of islands in the Antarctic. Rockhopper penguins are rather small in length and can reach to around 55 cms. They weigh around 3.35 kgs on an average. These types of penguins have been given their name probably because of their behavior to hop and jump over rocks. These species of penguins have red beaks and red colored eyes and a striking shade of yellow for their eyebrows. Their nests are found on rocky hills. The rockhopper penguins use pebbles and twigs to build their nest. They feed on a diet of fish, krill and even squid at times.

Fairy Penguins/Little Penguins:
As the name suggests, Little penguins are one of the smallest sized penguins seen on the coastlines of New Zealand and southern Australia. They are also referred to as Fairy penguins, the reason being largely due to their small size. These types of penguins have a bluish grey shade and have white bellies. Little penguins are known to build their nests under thick plants or also in holes that are found in rocks.

Apart from these types of penguins, there are several others that belong to different species, such as the Galapagos penguins, Royal penguins, Fiordland penguins, African penguins, Macaroni penguins etc.