January 20, 2018
Penguin Awareness Day
All you need to know about this Frisky Penguin is that there's a lot more beneath the surface, and you will never know me from a few random tweets or a random pic here and there.
If I want your opinion, I'll ask. If I respect you you'll know.
If you think I was angry before I went into the hospital? You should see me now!
#HealthCareForAll
Love,
Chilly, The Frisky Penguin 🐧
12 Penguin Portraits Show Personality
A pair of South Georgia king penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus, show off their brilliant plumage. King penguins have four layers of feathers and huddle together for warmth.
The macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus, gets its name from its trademark yellow and black crest, which resembles a style of hat from 18th-century England.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkTwo baby little blue penguins, Eudyptula minor, sport brown fuzzy feathers. The nocturnal species nests on land, often near human settlements.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkThe king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, is an excellent diver, going as deep as a thousand feet in search of prey.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkAlso known as the jackass or black-footed penguin, the African penguin (pictured at the Bramble Park Zoo) live in large colonies along Africa's southwestern coast, from Namibia to South Africa.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkFive chinstrap penguins, Pygoscelis antarctica, gather at the Newport Aquarium. Named for the distinctive black band under their chins, chinstraps are the most abundant Antarctic penguin, breeding in huge colonies on the continent and islands in the South Atlantic.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkConsidered endangered in New Zealand, the Fiordland crested penguin (pictured at the Taronga Zoo) is often preyed upon by introduced predators, such as the stoat.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkA little blue penguin seems to pose at SPCA Bird Wing, a bird rehab center in Auckland, New Zealand.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkRockhoppers are found bounding—rather than waddling, as most other penguins do—among the craggy, windswept shorelines of the islands north of Antarctica, from Chile to New Zealand.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkFound off Peru and Chile, this species has been steadily declining and is now considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Extreme weather and shifts in prey seem to be driving the decline.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkAn Adélie penguin poses at the Faunia Zoo in Madrid, Spain. Both male and female penguins help rear the young and, without close inspection, the two sexes are nearly indistinguishable.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkThe long-tailed gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua, is most easily distinguished by the white, bonnet-like marking on its head.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo ArkWith their charismatic nature, signature tuxedo look, and unique mating rituals, penguins are among Earth's most beloved creatures.
The 18 species differ greatly in size, from the four-foot-tall emperor penguins, regal birds native to the rugged coastlines of Antarctica, to the little blue penguin of southern Australia and New Zealand, which grow to just 13 inches tall. (See "On World Penguin Day, Could There Be a More Adorable Bird?")
Many penguins thrive in harsh climates, such as the Adélie, which has survived in Antarctica for nearly 45,000 years. Flightless and aquatic, penguins live almost entirely in the Southern Hemipshere, where they chase after small prey with expert diving and swimming skills.
Penguins are known for their remarkable relationship habits—for instance, the birds are largely monogamous despite spending most the year apart. During mating season, males will seek out the same female every year, despite the crowds of hundreds or even thousands of other birds that live in their colony.
Unfortunately, some penguins have fallen victim to the effects of climate change. Antarctic researchers believe that climate change will reduce their nesting habitat and supply of food, particularly krill.
Warming seas and rising regional air temperatures have already caused penguin populations to plunge by as much as 50 percent in the past three decades in the West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea.
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For January 20, Penguin Awareness Day (not to be confused with World Penguin Day on April 25), we put together our best photographs of these gorgeous, comical birds.
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