V9 Antarctic Peninsula_Voyage_Log

Penguins! Fun Facts for the Antarctic Adventurer
Gaby Pilson, Hiking Master & Expedition Guide
For many of us, the chance to see penguins waddling around in the snowy vastness of Antarctica is the reason
that we came to the White Continent. These charismatic sea birds are a fan-favourite for visitors to Antarctica,
but even cuddly-looking penguins are incredibly well adapted to one of the harshest environments on Earth.
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Depending on what book you read, there are 19
species of penguins. If you count all of the
subspecies, there are 25 total varieties of
penguins in the world, however, there are only
four truly Antarctic species of penguins: the
Adélie, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Emperor. All of
the other penguins in the world live south of the
equator yet north of Antarctica, with the
exception of one species in the Galapagos whose
range barely crosses into the northern
hemisphere.
The largest penguin to have ever lived was the
now-extinct mega penguin, which weighed some
115 kg. These days, the largest penguin is the
Emperor Penguin, which tips the scales at 23 kg.
Alternatively, the smaller gentoo penguin weighs
just 15 kg.
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Although they nest, breed, and socialize on land,
penguins rely on the sea for survival. As
swimming and diving birds, penguins are adept
at fishing and must head to the ocean for their
sustenance. Indeed, the deepest diving bird in
the world is the Emperor Penguin, with a
record-breaking dive of 535 meters!
Penguins are amazing swimmers. They spend
much of their day searching for food in the
ocean, particularly for their favourite meal of
krill, squid, and small fish. The fastest swimming
penguin is the Gentoo, which is known to reach
speeds of upwards of 50 kilometres an hour
while zooming through the water.
Penguins are highly social birds, choosing to
nest in large colonies, where they will also raise
their young. Many penguin chicks, after
hatching stay with their parents for a few weeks
to a few months before forming large “crechés,”
many hundreds of individual teenage penguins
in size.
5 JAN 2020 – 14 JAN 2020
Volume 2, Issue 9