Penguins cannot fly, but they are superb swimmers and survive in some of the harshest places on Earth. There are 18 species, from the tiny little penguin to the emperor, which stands more than a metre tall. Here are 15 fun facts about penguins.
1Almost all penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Wild penguins live in Antarctica, South America, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. There are no wild penguins in the Arctic, so polar bears and penguins never meet.
2Only one species lives north of the equator.
The Galápagos penguin lives on islands that straddle the equator, and some of its colonies are just north of it.
3The emperor penguin is the biggest.
Emperor penguins can stand about 1.1 to 1.2 metres tall and weigh up to 40 kg. The smallest species, the little penguin of Australia and New Zealand, is only about 33 cm tall.
4Ancient penguins were even bigger.
Fossils found in New Zealand show that a giant penguin called Kumimanu fordycei, which lived about 57 million years ago, may have weighed around 150 kg.
5Their colours are camouflage.
A penguin’s dark back blends in with the deep water when seen from above, and its white front blends in with the bright surface when seen from below. This is called countershading.
6Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimmers.
Gentoo penguins can reach speeds of about 36 km/h (22 mph) underwater, making them the fastest swimming birds.
7Emperor penguins dive deeper than any other bird.
Emperor penguins have been recorded diving more than 500 metres deep and holding their breath for over 20 minutes.
8Penguins can drink seawater.
A gland above their eyes filters salt from their blood. The salt is then sneezed or shaken out through their nostrils.
9They lose all their feathers at once.
Once a year, penguins go through a “catastrophic moult”, replacing all their feathers in a few weeks. Because they cannot swim without waterproof feathers, they have to fast on land until it is over.
10Emperor penguin fathers keep the egg warm all winter.
After the female lays her egg, the male balances it on his feet under a fold of skin for about two months in the Antarctic winter, eating nothing until the chick hatches.
11Each penguin has its own call.
In crowded colonies of thousands of birds, parents and chicks recognise each other by their individual calls.
12Many penguins return to the same partner.
Many species, such as gentoos and king penguins, often return to the same partner each breeding season, although “divorces” do happen.
13A group of penguins has several names.
On land, a group of penguins is called a colony or a waddle. In the water, it is a raft.
14A penguin at Edinburgh Zoo is a Norwegian army general.
Sir Nils Olav, a king penguin, is the mascot of Norway’s King’s Guard. He was knighted in 2008 and promoted to major general in 2023.
15The Falkland Islands are a penguin hotspot.
The British overseas territory is home to five species of penguin, including large colonies of king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins.
FAQs about penguins
How many species of penguin are there?
There are generally said to be 18 species, although scientists disagree about some of them.
Can penguins fly?
No. Their wings have evolved into stiff flippers, which they use to “fly” through the water.
Do penguins live at the North Pole?
No. Wild penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere, apart from the Galápagos penguin, which lives right on the equator.
Sources and further reading
Explore more: facts about sharks.
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