Of the 17 species of penguins in the world 3 species are endangered and 9 others are threatened. A major threat to penguins are human interference and particularly oil spils (see inset photo). Check out the individual world penguins species pages on this site for more information.

All penguins come from the Southern Hemisphere and they live in places ranging from the Galapagos Islands to the coast of Antarctica.

Penguins sleep on land and while floating at sea. On land they can sleep lying down or standing up sometimes with their head tucked below on wing. Check out the Behaviors Page for more information.

Penguins have good vision both above and below the water. This is due to their ability to alter the shape of the lens of the eye to accommodate both environments. Check out the Anatomy Page for more information.

Yes, a penguin's leg is composed of a short femur, knee, tibia and fibula. The upper leg bones are not visible as they are covered in feathers giving penguins a very short legged appearance. Check out the Anatomy Page for more information.

No. A penguin's beak has sharp edges and is hooked to trap wriggling fish. The tongue and roof of the beak is lined with flexible, downward pointing spines which hold on to their slippery food. Check out the Anatomy Page for more information.

Yes. The ears are located on the sides of the head in the same location as ours but cannot be seen as the ears are covered by the penguins dense feathers. A penguins ear has no lobes it is just a simple hole.

Penguins have a streamlined body for life at sea with their legs placed at the rear of their bodies. On land this gives the penguin an upright stance and their characteristic waddle. Check out the Anatomy Page for more information.

It appears that some species do migrate from their breeding colonies to locations of abundant food supply following the breeding season.Both Rockhopper and Magellanic penguins migrate.

Usually mates will greet each other in several ways such as the ecstatic display, bowing and quivering. The mutual ecstatic display involves the pair facing each other and bowing and then pointing their bills to the sky and braying or trumpeting together. Check out the Behaviors Page for more information.

A.The penguins at the Aquarium eat fish. Some of the types of fish they eat are capelin, anchovy, herring, smelt and sardines.

The penguins are not pets. We do however handle the penguins during veterinary exams and for other husbandry needs.

Yes. During the breeding season penguins will aggressively defend their nesting sites and even during the off season each bird can usually be found in the same spot within the exhibit.

Our penguins are not pets. They have become accustomed to the staff people but are not tame and can be unpredictable.

If you would like to volunteer with the penguin department and are 18 or older you can apply with the volunteer office.

To our knowledge there are no studies concerning UV-B effects on penguins. As their eyes are exposed to a lot of UV due to the high reflectivity of snow and a marked enhancement during the ozone hole, investigation into the impact on penguins is desirable. The fact that penguins are visual predators, eating krill or fish in the water column, would make any eye damage an important issue for survival.

No. This flightless, aquatic bird is native to the Southern Circumpolar Region, only a short 10,000 miles to the south.

Penguins have more feathers per square inch then any other bird on earth.The feathers are small and fit together very tightly making them look smooth like fur. Check out the Anatomy Page for more information.

Penguins lose all their feathers once per year during the molt. They do this to replace the worn out feathers.

That depends on the size of the penguin. The larger species such as the Emperors and Kings can get up to a maximum of 9mph but usually swim at a more leisurely 7mph. The medium sized penguins such as our Rockhopper and Africans travel about 5-6mph. The smallest penguins such as our little blues travel at about 1mph but can get up to 5mph in short bursts.