Intresting and Unique Facts about Penguins

Lets Dive into the most interesting Penguin Facts!

First check out this video from Penguin Keeper Alex!

Penguins once could fly! 

While penguins can’t fly now, it is widely believed that they once could! Along their evolutionary journey, their bodies became more adapted to water and they started to become expert swimmers. Getting off the ground and flying must have just become too much effort! So, they traded in their ability to fly to become the fastest swimming and deepest-diving species of any bird.

Penguins are modern parents 

Emperor Penguins are on the forefront of modern parenting roles! In most animal species, it is the female that stays in the nest to look after their offspring while the father goes out to fetch food. However, with Emperor penguins, it is the male who incubates the egg while the female goes out for food and, even more amazingly, it is the male penguin who produces a milky substance from their stomach and feeds the chick - WOW!

Not all penguins are small 

There are 17 different species of penguins and all of them can be found in the Southern Hemisphere. The biggest of them all is the Emperor Penguin, who stands up to 1.3 metres tall (the height of an average 8 year old child) and can weigh up to 41 kilograms.

Penguins lose their feathers, en masse! 

Unlike most birds who molt a few feathers at a time replacing their coat gradually over the course of the year, penguins lose all of their feathers in one go. It's called a catastrophic molt, which is a very good description given they can look like an exploding pillow. During this time, they cannot enter the water as it’s too cold without their full coat of feathers. No swimming to catch fish means no eating, so they have to store up enough fat to see them through this fasting period. They may not eat for a few weeks!

Emperor penguins survive extreme cold 

Emperor penguins are remarkable for their ability to survive and even thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. They breed during the Antarctic winter, a season when temperatures can plummet as low as -60°C (-76°F). To withstand this extreme cold, emperor penguins have developed several unique adaptations. Their thick layer of blubber and dense feathers provide insulation, while they huddle together in large groups to conserve heat, rotating positions so that each penguin spends time both in the warmer centre and on the colder periphery. This cooperative behaviour, combined with their physical resilience, allows emperor penguins to breed and care for their young under conditions that would be fatal to most other species.

Penguins have sharp underwater vision 

Penguins have exceptional vision that allows them to see clearly both above and below the water. Their eyes are specially adapted to function in different environments, enabling them to maintain sharp focus whether they're swimming in the ocean or navigating on land. One of the key features of their eyesight is the ability to see well in low-light conditions, which is crucial when hunting for food in the dark depths of the ocean or during the long, dim days of the Antarctic winter. This adaptation ensures that penguins can effectively spot prey underwater, where light is scarce, giving them a significant advantage in their survival.

Penguin parents take turns caring for their chicks 

In many penguin species, both the father and mother share the responsibility of raising their chick. The mother typically lays the egg, and the father takes over incubation while she hunts for food. Once the chick is born, the roles can switch, with the mother and father alternating feeding trips.

Penguins can drink saltwater 

Penguins have a special gland located near their eyes called the supraorbital gland, which filters out the salt from seawater. This allows them to stay hydrated even when freshwater is scarce.

Penguins “fly” underwater 

While penguins can’t fly in the air, they use the same muscles and wing motions as flying birds, but underwater. Their wings are adapted into flippers that make them excellent swimmers, propelling through the water much like flying birds do in the sky.

Not all penguins live in cold climates 

Although we often associate penguins with Antarctica, several species live in warmer climates. For example, the Galápagos penguin lives near the equator, and the African penguin is found along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia.

Penguins recognize each other by their voices 

Each penguin has a unique call that allows them to identify their mates and chicks, even in large, noisy colonies. This is particularly useful for Emperor penguins, whose colonies can number in the thousands.

Gentoo Penguins are the fastest of all penguin species! 

These penguins can swim at speeds of up to 36km/h! That's 4 times faster than any Olympic swimmer! Their streamlined bodies and strong flippers help them navigate swiftly through the ocean, allowing them to evade predators and catch prey with remarkable efficiency.

The oldest penguin fossils are 62 million years old 

The oldest penguin fossils date back an incredible 62 million years, which means these birds were thriving just 3 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs. This timeline places penguins among some of the earliest bird species to evolve after the dramatic event that wiped out the giant reptiles. Their existence so soon after such a monumental shift in Earth's history highlights the resilience and adaptability of penguins as they carved out their niche in the post-dinosaur world, developing traits that would allow them to survive and flourish in extreme environments over the millennia.

Penguins poop every 20 minutes 

Penguins have a very fast metabolism this means they need to poop, a lot!

A penguin's black and white colouring is called countershading. 

All penguin species share countershading camouflage. This means they have a lighter belly and a darker back, and helps them camouflage from predators above and below them. 

Penguins are expert divers! 

Penguins are expert divers, with different species demonstrating remarkable abilities to dive to great depths in search of food. Emperor penguins are particularly impressive, holding the record for the deepest dive among penguins, reaching depths of up to 530 metres (1,740 feet). These dives, often lasting over 20 minutes, allow them to hunt for fish, squid, and krill in the deep, icy waters of the Antarctic. Gentoo penguins, known for their agility, can dive to depths of around 200 metres (650 feet), enabling them to catch prey closer to the surface. King penguins, meanwhile, can dive to approximately 350 metres (1,150 feet), using their specialised adaptations to thrive in the cold waters around sub-Antarctic islands. Each of these species demonstrates incredible endurance and skill, diving repeatedly throughout the day to meet their nutritional needs, often in conditions where light is scarce and pressure increases with depth.

Meet Our Resident Penguins! 

Enjoy a penguin expedition boat ride and get up close to the cutest penguin colony in Sydney.

If you would love to have the opportunity to get even closer to these amazing creatures, check out our penguin encounter - this is your ticket to hang out on the ice with some of SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium's very own penguin colony, including the majestic King and cheeky Gentoo penguins.

You’ll be suited up in Antarctic snow gear to keep you warm in the sub-zero temperatures, and you’ll spend 45 minutes touring their home, including the behind-the-scenes meal prep and veterinary areas.

Get to know the penguins we have at SEA LIFE Sydney! 

King Penguin 

• Size: Second largest penguin species, standing about 90 cm (35 in) tall.
• Weight: They can weigh between 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lbs).
• Appearance: King Penguins have a sleek, black back and a striking bright orange patch on their necks and chest, making them quite regal in appearance.
• Habitat: Native to the sub-Antarctic islands, King Penguins thrive in cold, icy environments.
• Diet: Primarily eat small fish and squid, diving deep into the ocean to hunt.
• Interesting Fact: King Penguins are famous for their long breeding cycle, with each chick taking more than a year to fledge fully. Unlike other species, they don't build nests; instead, they balance their eggs on their feet!

Want to know more about our gentoo penguins? Click here!

Click here to meet all our penguins and learn their names!

Gentoo Penguin 

• Size: Medium-sized, around 75 to 90 cm (30 to 35 in) tall.
• Weight: Typically weigh between 5 to 8.5 kg (11 to 18 lbs).
• Appearance: Gentoo Penguins are easily recognized by their bright orange beaks and a distinctive white stripe that runs across the top of their heads.
• Habitat: Found on the rocky shores of sub-Antarctic islands, particularly around the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Diet: Their diet consists mainly of krill and fish, making quick, efficient dives to catch their prey.
• Interesting Fact: Gentoos are the fastest swimming penguins, capable of reaching speeds up to 36 km/h (22 mph)! They're also known for being particularly playful and curious around humans.

Little Penguins 

Size:Little penguins are the smallest species of penguin, typically growing to around 30 to 33 cm (12 to 13 inches) in height.

Weight:They usually weigh between 1 to 1.5 kg (2.2 to 3.3 lbs), making them relatively lightweight compared to other penguin species.

Appearance:Little penguins have blue-grey feathers on their back and head, with a white belly. Their small size and distinctive colour give them the nickname "blue penguins."

Habitat:They are found along the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, where they nest in burrows or under vegetation close to the shore.

Diet:Little penguins primarily feed on small fish, squid, and crustaceans, hunting close to shore by diving and catching prey underwater.

Interesting fact:Unlike other penguin species, Little penguins are nocturnal on land, coming ashore at dusk and returning to the sea before dawn to avoid predators.

Want to know more about our Little Penguin friends? Click here