General Penguin Information

Early Penguin Facts
Penguins are creatures of the south as they are only found below the equator. This spectacular and unusual bird has been inhibiting the earth for quite some time. In Australia we have found fossils dating back 60 millions years. The first penguins were discovered by European explorers reporting back on their journeys.

Penguins are indeed very interesting and unusual. Early Antarctic explorers thought the Penguins were fish. Now, as we have learned a descent amount about this comical bird we can compose many useful penguin facts.

What is a Penguin?
Penguins are the birds of the water. They live in both water and land. Their heavy body weight makes it effortless for them to dive underwater and seize their prey. Unlike a regular bird that can fly the lands, penguins are limited to the water. Penguins navigate themselves through the waters with flying motions of their flippers, and they carry webbed feet which they use for routing.

Habitat
Most penguins live 75% of their lives at sea. Those penguins only come to shore to breed and molt. Very little is known about the penguin’s life at sea.

Penguins range in habitat from Antarctic continent all the way to the Galapagos Islands. Some other areas include the Islands near the Antarctic Circle, shores of South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Predators
Penguin facts tell that penguins are preyed on by a few predators at sea which we know about. These are Killer Whales, Leopard Seals, Sea Lions, and Sharks. Penguins don’t have any predators on land which is why they are not afraid of people. They are not necessarily fond of anything approaching them being the grouchy breed that they are, but sometimes there curiosity will lead one to approach and investigate.

Breeding
Penguin will choose whom they want to breed with at approximately four years of age. Their mate is theirs for the rest all their lives. Penguins breed in colonies. The most common area of breeding is in rookeries. Females will usually lay 2 eggs at a time. The first egg is usually the weakling and will most often die. Male penguins will loose a majority of their body weight incubating the eggs. This accumulates for some good penguin facts. Here is a Youtube video showing you an example of these penguin colonies.

Molting
Every year a penguin goes through the process of Molting. This is when they shed their feathers and grow new ones. Penguins don’t eat nor do they swim during this three week process. Watch this penguin facts Youtube molting video.