Penguin Facts for Kids
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Learn facts about Penguins for kids
Penguin facts for kids: Penguins are interesting birds. They don't fly, they swim, and their stocky bodies are well adapted to the amount of swimming that they do.
Many movies have been made about penguins over the last few years, but what you may think of as a typical penguin, may be very different from reality.
Penguins come in different colors, sizes and they are adapted to living in different climates. Where do penguins live? Penguins don't all live in Antarctica, some don't even go near the ice but live in more temperate climates.
Each species of penguin is different to other penguin species, not just in looks, but also in behaviour, and habitat. Some build nests to raise their young, others burrow, and some perch the egg on their feet.
Are you interested in learning more penguin facts? This page gives a very short and brief description of the 17 species of penguin along with general penguin facts for kids, links to penguin crafts and other other penguin sites of interest.
Image courtesy of Stan Shebs
What Are Penguins?
Penguins are birds that don't fly - but they are great swimmers!
So, what is a penguin? Penguins are flightless birds that only live in the Southern hemisphere. They spend most of their time at sea and are great swimmers, however all penguins raise their young on land.
Like all birds, penguins lay eggs, however some penguins make nests, others burrow, and some use their feet as a perch to incubate their eggs.
Penguins are warm blooded animals, and their wings have developed into flippers which allow them to swim very fast.
Image courtesy of copyright-free-photos.org
How Do Penguins Keep Warm?
Clever ways penguins keep warm.
Many penguins live in very cold climates, and of course it gets cold in the depths of the ocean. How do they keep warm?
Having a layer of body fat under their skin helps keep warmth in and so does huddling in groups which helps shield penguins from cold.
What else can penguins do to keep warm? Their bodies are quite clever and the link below gives a good explanation of how they stay warm.
- How penguins survive cold conditions
- Not all penguins live in the antarctic, however being able to withstand the cold is something that all penguins have to be able to do. Penguins have a layer of fat under their skin which helps them keep warm and which also serves as an energy source. Read on to see what else helps keep penguins warm.
Penguin Worksheets and Lesson Plans
Learn all about Penguins
- KidZone Penguin Activities
- Fun facts for kids, photos and printable activity worksheets. Suitable for Kindergarten through Grade 6.
- Tacky the Penguin WebQuest - 1st Grade Science
- Tacky is a one-of-a-kind penguin but wants to know more about the normal life of a penguin. Let's find out more about "normal" penguins by working as a team to find facts about them.
- Penguin Capers
- Penguin Capers Grade level: K-3
Overview: This integrated unit on penguins makes a terrific winter theme.
It is very easy to integrate these ideas into your whole curriculum.
Where Do Penguins Live?
Penguins only live in the Southern Hemisphere
Penguins live on all continents in the Southern hemisphere.
Most people think of penguins living in Antarctica, but there are penguins in Australia, Africa and even the Galapagos islands.
With 17 species of penguins, there are also many different habitats. However, all penguins live in coastal areas, they breed on land and feed on fish, squid or krill.
Image courtesy of copyright-free-photos.org
How do Penguins Swim?
Penguins are able to swim by flapping their flippers in the water.
Are Penguins Endangered?
Endangered penguins
A few species of penguin are endangered.
The African penguin is now considered to be critically endangered. There are between 21,000 and 25,000 breeding pairs of African penguins left in the world. Two of the threats to the African penguin are oil pollution and a decrease in food supply.
The Northern Rockhopper penguin, Erect-crested penguin, Yellow-eyed penguin, and Galapagos penguin are also endangered.
Several other penguin species are considered threatened or vulnerable.
- African Penguins critically endangered - Newswatch - East Coast Radio
- If we don't act decisively now, and African Penguin numbers continue to decline as they are, these marine birds could become extinct in our lifetime.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
Penguins Swimming
Swimming and diving penguins
How Many Species Of Penguin Are There?
Penguin Species at a glance
When given the size of a penguin, keep in mind that it is an average size. You may find variations of penguin size on different websites, but they should all be within a few inches or centimetres.
Sources include: AntarcticConnection.com
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Little Penguin
Location: Antarctic
Diet: Fish, krill, and other small crustaceans
Size: 30 inches/76 cm
Nest/Burrows: Makes burrows for nesting and return to them year after year. -
Emperor Penguin
Location: Antarctic
Diet: Fish, squid, and crustaceans
Size: 40 inches/101 cm
Nest/Burrows: Carries and egg on the top of its feet and tucks it under its belly -
King Penguin
Location: Sub Antarctic Islands
Diet: Fish and Squid
Size: 30 inches/76 cm
Nest/Burrows: Carries and egg on the top of its feet and tucks it under its belly -
Rockhopper Penguin
Location: Sub-Antarctic Islands
Diet: Krill, fish and squid
Size: 21 inches/53 cm
Nest/Burrows: Burrows into rock crevices -
Adelie Penguin
Location: Antarctic
Size: 29 inches/75 cm
Diet: Fish and krill
Nest/Burrows: Nests are made of small mounds of small stones -
Chinstrap Penguin
Location: Antarctic and Southern Islands
Size:27 inches/ 69 cm
Diet: Fish and krill
Nest/Burrows: Nests on high ground where the first snow melts occur -
Gentoo Penguin
Location: Antarctic
Size: 30 inches/76 cm
Diet: Fish, squid and crustaceans
Nest/Burrows: Nests of small stones, grass and sticks -
Macaroni Penguin
Location: Sub Antarctic Islands
Size: 25 inches/63 cm
Diet: Fish, squid and krill
Nest/Burrows: Shallow holes in mud and gravel -
Magellanic Penguin
Location: Coast of Chile and Argentina
Size: 27 inches/68 cm
Diet: Fish, squid, kril
Nest/Burrows: Burrows under rocks and bushes -
Humboldt Penguin
Location: Peru and Chili
Size: 18 inches/48 cm
Diet: Small fish and crustaceans
Nest/Burrows: Burrows in caves and rocky cliffs -
Galapagos Penguin
Location: Galapagos Islands
Size: 19 inches/48 cm
Diet: Small fish and squid
Nest/Burrows: Burrows and in small rocky crevices -
African Penguin
Location: Islands off Southern Africa
Size: 18 inches/46 cm
Diet: Fish and Krill
Nest/Burrows: Shallow burrows -
Yellow Eyed Penguin
Location: New Zealand Coast
Size: 24 inches/61 cm
Diet: Fish and Squid
Nest/Burrows: Shallow holes in the forest -
Snares Island Penguin
Location: Snares Island, New Zealand
Size: 20 inches/51 cm
Diet: Fish, squid and krill
Nest/Burrows: Shallow holes lined with grass and twigs -
Erect-crested Penguin
Location: Subantarctic
Size: 20 inches/51cm
Diet: Small fish and krill
Nest/Burrows: Shallow holes lined with plant matter -
Fiordland Crested Penguin
Location: Southern New Zealand
Size: 17 inches/43 cm
Diet: Fish, squid and krill
Nest/Burrows: Nests under bushes, among tree roots and rocky crevices -
Royal Penguin
Location: Macquarie Island
Size: 23 inches/58 cm
Diet: Fish, squid and krill
Nest/Burrows: Shallow lined holes
Penguin Species and Controvesy
16 to 20 species? How many are there really?
Why is this?
- White Flippered Penguin: Some scientists recognize the White Flippered Penguin as a separate species, however there are also those who see it as simply another form of the Little Penguin.
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Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western Rockhopper: The Rockhopper can be categorized into several subspecies.
Find out more at BiologicalDiversity.org - Royal Penguins and Macaroni Penguins: If you see somewhere that there are 16 species of penguin and not 17, it is most likely that Royal Penguins wont be on that list. There is some controversy as to whether the white faced Royal penguins are simply a sub-species of Macaroni.
Emperor Penguin Lifecycle Poster
This penguin lifecycle poster is in the public domain. Print out a larger copy of this Penguin Lifecycle Poster for use in the classroom.
This poster is also available in French and Spanish.
Penguin News - 2011
What's going on in the Penguin World?
- Will, Kate Adopt Baby Penguin: Big Pic : Discovery News
- Meet Acorn, the newest (unofficial) member of the royal family.
- Race to save oiled penguins after tanker strikes Tristan da Cunha | BirdLife Community
- Hundreds of oiled penguins have been found following a substantial oil leak from a grounded cargo vessel on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha
- First Tristan penguins released from ‘rehab’ | BirdLife Community
- The first 24 penguins of more than 3,600 admitted to the 'rehab centre' have been released back to the wild.
- Audubon Magazine
- Penguins offer insight into climate change.
You will never see
a Penguin and a Polar Bear together in the wild.
Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere
Polar Bears live in the Northern Hemisphere
Distribution penguin map
Geopgraphic location of penguins around the world
This map is a great interactive tool to show where different species of penguins live.
Hover over the name of each penguin species and the areas in the Southern hemisphere where that particular species lives will become highlighted.
If you are teaching children about penguins and where they live, this is a great visual tool.
- Distribution map of penguins
- The wonderful world of penguins, it's a penguin world
Penguin Species Chart/ID Guide
- Penguin ID Guide | Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust
- Distribution of penguins. This ID guide features 16 species of penguin (not 17 as in my list above) and 2 sub-species.
What Do Penguins Eat?
What do penguins eat? Penguins only eat food from the ocean, however the type of food depends on the species of penguin. The three types of food that penguins eat are krill, fish, and squid.
Latin Name for Penguins
Also known as Scientific Classification
All penguins are birds, that means that they come from the class Aves which includes all birds
CLASS - AVES
ORDER - SPHENISCIFORMES
FAMILY - SPHENISCIDAE
GENUS and SPECIES vary
Aptenodytes forsteri - Emperor
Aptenodytes patagonicus - King
Eudyptes chrysocome - Rockhopper
Eudyptes chrysolophus - Macaroni
Eudyptes schlegeli - Royal
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus - Fiordland Crested
Eudyptes sclateri - Erect-Crested
Eudyptes robustus - Snares Island
Eudyptula minor - Little, also known as Fairy
Megadyptes antipodes - Yellow-Eyed
Pygoscelis adeliae - Adelie
Pygoscelis papua - Gentoo
Pygoscelis antarcticus - Chinstrap
Spheniscus magellanicus - Magellanic
Spheniscus humboldti - Humboldt
Spheniscus demersus - African, also known as Black-Footed
Spheniscus mendiculus - Galapagos
Image courtesy of copyright-free-photos.org
Penguin Coloring Pages for kids
Free Coloring pages of penguins
- Penguin Coloring Pages
- Free Penguin Coloring Pages. Fun printable colouring pages of different types of penguins, realistic and cartoon.I've done my best to find Penguin colouring
- Penguins Coloring Pages
- Penguins themed coloring book pages you can print and color.
- National Geographic Coloring Book: Emperor Penguin Picture
- Image of two Emperor Penguins with three chicks and also the feet of an Emperor Penguin balancing an egg on his feet.
- Penguin Facts Coloring Book Page
- Color an African penguin labeled coloring sheet
- Free Kids Coloring: Search Results
- Printable coloring pages for the holidays, seasons and other favorite topics. Our printable coloring pages are also known as free coloring sheets, reproducible coloring pages, color pages, kids coloring pictures.
- ABCTeach.com
- A penguin wearing a winter hat and scarf
- ABCTeach.com
- Simple black and white penguin standing.
- Coloring.ws
- Several different penguin colouring sheets.
How To Draw A Penguin
Penguin Crafts
- Simple Penguin Crafts
- Penguin crafts are a great introduction to learning about penguins. It doesn't matter what your crafting skill level is, you will find a fun penguin craft
- DLTK's Penguin Craft for Kids
- Penguin toilet paper roll craft.
- Preschool Education Arts & Crafts : Animals > Penguins
- Several different penguin craft ideas using very basic supplies
- Preschool Christmas Craft, Winter Crafts, Penguin Craft | Craft Jr.
- Easy preschool Christmas craft of a paper plate penguin, all you need to make it is two paper plates and black and orange paint.
- familyfun.go.com
- Transform used soda or water bottles and your child's lone socks into playful penguins -- and turn your lawn into an eye-catching, laugh-inducing winter display.
- Penguin craft
- Penguin craft Penguins are sea-birds. Penguins live on the southern half of the world: Antarctica, New Zealand, southern Australia, South Africa and
- Fingerprint Penguin Craft
- Free printable templates and directions for making a penguin fingerprint project.
Penguin Crafts
Online Penguin Games
- Penguin Games - Free online flash penguin games arcade!
- Free online flash penguin games,
Good websites with information about Penguins
Find more information about Penguins
- PENGUINS - InfoBook Index
- PENGUINS - InfoBook Index...Discover animal, environmental, and zoological career facts as you explore in-depth topic coverage via SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove's on-line information books.
- Penguin World
- PenguinWorld is a site devoted to the species of birds known to us as Penguins and to science as the family Spheniscidae.
Cute Penguin Chick Photo
Do Penguins Fly?
Very Clever!
What Penguin Information are you looking for?
In order to help me improve this page, please let me know what type of information you came to this page to look for.
Are you an educator?
The articles in this free resource cover all aspects of the polar regions.
- Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears
- Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears Home Page
- Penguins Only in Antarctica? It's Not So Black and White!
- Why teaching about Penguins is such a good idea.
Penguin Awareness Day:
January 20th
Share your penguin love.
Is there a Penguin species you would like to learn more about? Please let me know which one. Thanks!
Thank you to everyone who has written wonderful and kind words about this page.
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AMANI
May 18, 2012 @ 8:22 am | delete
- I LOVE IT
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ResearchAddict
May 1, 2012 @ 7:14 am | delete
- Nice lens. I just can't get enough of these awesome creatures!
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pareshshrimali
Apr 19, 2012 @ 6:11 am | delete
- nice job...
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MarcGuberti
Feb 29, 2012 @ 7:18 am | delete
- I love penguins. They are so full of character
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seemly
Jan 28, 2012 @ 3:26 am | delete
- What a fantastic lens! Great learning resources for kids such as thiss are so hard to come by! Thanks for sharing!
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Tolovaj
Jan 24, 2012 @ 5:54 am | delete
- Magellan penguin was always one of my favorites. Just a hint;)
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Edutopia
Jan 15, 2012 @ 4:34 pm | delete
- After finding out about Penguin Appreciation Day coming up I wanted to find a lens that would give me a ready made lesson for my kids and then I found your page! Good job!
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Buchamar
Dec 14, 2011 @ 7:21 pm | delete
- Neat Lens!
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efriedman
Jun 26, 2011 @ 8:22 pm | delete
- Good lens for children - I am featuring it on my Easy Paper Pelican lens.
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padswe1970 Jun 6, 2011 @ 8:30 am | delete
- i google +1 your lens
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Penguin Pages
More Penguin Facts and Fun for Kids and Adults
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Hi, I'm Samantha, mother of 2 and an avid reader, scrapbooker, traveler and animal lover. My hope with this page is for students and educators to be... more »
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