Depending on which authority is followed, penguin biodiversity varies between 17 and 20 living species, all in the subfamily Spheniscinae. The number of extant penguin species is debated. Southern rockhopper penguin ( Eudyptes chrysocome) displaying its distinctive crest Two king penguins and one gentoo penguin on a beach on South Georgia, British overseas territory The closed neck collar denotes this species. Magellanic penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus). Like its relatives, a neatly bi-coloured species with a head marking. Systematics and evolution Living and recently extinct species Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae) feeding young. They were classified in 1831 by Charles Bonaparte in several distinct genera within the family Spheniscidae and order Sphenisciformes. They do not belong in the genus Pinguinus, and are not classified in the same family and order as the great auk. Despite this resemblance, however, they are not auks, and are not closely related to the great auk. The birds currently known as penguins were discovered later and were so named by sailors because of their physical resemblance to the great auk. As confirmed by a 2004 genetic study, the genus Pinguinus belongs in the family of the auks (Alcidae), within the order of the Charadriiformes. Since 1871, the Latin word Pinguinus has been used in scientific classification to name the genus of the great auk ( Pinguinus impennis, meaning "plump or fat without flight feathers"), which became extinct in the mid-19th century. Support for this etymology can be found in the alternative Germanic word for penguin, fettgans or 'fat-goose', and the related Dutch word vetgans.Īdult male penguins are sometimes called cocks, females sometimes called hens a group of penguins on land is a waddle, and a group of penguins in the water is a raft. Some dictionaries suggest a derivation from Welsh pen, 'head' and gwyn, 'white', including the Oxford English Dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary, the Century Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, on the basis that the name was originally applied to the great auk, either because it was found on White Head Island ( Welsh: Pen Gwyn) in Newfoundland, or because it had white circles around its eyes (though the head was black).Īn alternative etymology links the word to Latin pinguis, which means 'fat' or 'oil'. The English word is not apparently of French, Breton or Spanish origin (the latter two are attributed to the French word pingouin), but first appears in English or Dutch. The etymology of the word penguin is still debated. When European explorers discovered what are today known as penguins in the Southern Hemisphere, they noticed their similar appearance to the great auk of the Northern Hemisphere, and named them after this bird, although they are not closely related. The word penguin first appears in literature at the end of the 16th century. Etymology A group of emperor penguins ( Aptenodytes forsteri) in Antarctica There was a great diversity of species in subantarctic regions, and at least one giant species in a region around 2,000 km south of the equator 35 mya, during the Late Eocene, a climate decidedly warmer than today. Some prehistoric penguin species were enormous: as tall or heavy as an adult human. Today, larger penguins generally inhabit colder regions, and smaller penguins inhabit regions with temperate or tropical climates. The smallest penguin species is the little blue penguin ( Eudyptula minor), also known as the fairy penguin, which stands around 30–33 cm (12–13 in) tall and weighs 1.2–1.3 kg (2.6–2.9 lb). The largest living species is the emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri): on average, adults are about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (77 lb). They spend about half of their lives on land and the other half in the sea. A penguin has a spiny tongue and powerful jaws to grip slippery prey. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sea life which they catch with their bills and swallow whole while swimming. Highly adapted for life in the ocean water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage and flippers for swimming. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the order Sphenisciformes ( / s f ɪ ˈ n ɪ s ə f ɔːr m iː z/) of the family Spheniscidae ( / s f ɪ ˈ n ɪ s ɪ d iː, - d aɪ/). Penguin species of different genera from top-left, clockwise: Emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri), snares penguin ( Eudyptes robustus), little penguin ( Eudyptula minor), yellow-eyed penguin ( Megadyptes antipodes), gentoo penguin ( Pygoscelis papua), African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus)īreeding range of penguins, all species (aqua) some species have wider seasonal migration ranges Possible Cretaceous origin according to molecular data
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