The word penguin first appears in literature at the end of the 16th century as a synonym for the great auk. When European explorers … See more

Penguins are superbly adapted to aquatic life. Their wings have evolved to become flippers, useless for flight in the air. In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. … See more

Breeding
Penguins for the most part breed in large colonies, the exceptions being the yellow-eyed and Fiordland … See more

Penguins have no special fear of humans and will often approach groups of people. This is probably because penguins have no land predators in Antarctica or the nearby offshore … See more

Taxonomy
The family name of Spheniscidae was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte from the genus Spheniscus, the name of that genus comes from the See more

Although almost all penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere, they are not found only in cold climates, such as See more

• Williams; Tony D. (1995). The Penguins – Spheniscidae. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-854667-2. See more