Friday, 22 March 2013

African Penguins

Penguins 5. African Penguins


African Penguins grow to 68–70 cm tall and weigh between 2 and 5 kg. They have ping glands above their eyes. The hotter the penguins get, the more blood they send to the glands which causes it to be cooled by the outside air. This causes the glands to become alot more pink. The males are larger than the femals, and have larger beaks.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Galapagos Penguins

Penguins 4. Galapagos Penguins



The average Galapagos Penguin is 49 centimetres long and 2.5 kilograms in weight. It is the third smallest species of penguin. . They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with two black bands across the breast, the lower band extending down the flanks to the thigh. Juveniles differ in having a wholly dark head, greyer on side and chin, and no breast-band. The female penguins are smaller than the males, but are otherwise quite similar.

Macaroni Penguins

Penguins 3. Macaroni Penguins



 An adult bird has an average length of around 70 cm. Immature birds are distinguished by their smaller size, smaller duller brown bill, dark grey chin and throat, and absent or underdeveloped head plumes, often just a scattering of yellow feathers. They spend around two weeks accumulating fat before moulting because they do not feed during the moult, as they cannot enter the water to forage for food without feathers.

Chinstrap Penguins

Penguins 2. Chinstrap Penguins


Chinstrap penguins can grow up to 68 cm in length, and a weight of 6 kg. However, their weight can drop as low as 3 kg depending on the breeding cycle. Males are both larger and heavier than females. The adult chinstraps' flippers are black with a white edge; the inner sides of the flippers are white. The face is white extending behind the eyes, which are reddish-brown; the chin and throat are white as well, while the short bill is black.

Emperor Penguins

Penguins 1. Emperor penguins


Its diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. In hunting, the species can remain submerged up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 122 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg.