A substantial slice of the southernmost continent directly south of Australia, covering most of East Antarctica. But they also display remarkable cooperation – in stark contrast to the territorial nature of other penguins – in the form of huddling. While King Penguins live near Antarctica and South America, Allied King Penguins inhabit islands in the southern Indian and Pacific oceans. Aside from that, King penguins are known to be excellent in diving and can reach as deep as 300 meters below.

Penguin - Facts and Beyond | Biology Dictionary Penguin - Facts and Beyond | Biology Dictionary

It may also serve as a defense mechanism against predators—it makes it difficult to grab a swimming penguin when they are continually disappearing above the surface.They prefer to breed in forests from September to January, where they keep their eggs safe amidst shallow nests made of mud and twigs. During breeding season penguins stick close to the colony, but how far a penguin travels to feed varies from species to species. Male and female emperors are similar in size and can reach up to 130 cm (about 51 inches) in height.

Pink Penguins - Etsy UK

Penguins vary greatly in size and the larger penguins are more likely to be found in colder climates. Their robust skeleton also helps them to be powerful swimmers, providing them with stiffer fins which they use to maneuver through the water more efficiently. The supraorbital glands, or salt glands, lie on either side of the beak in a v-shaped groove above the eye and are surrounded by a network of blood vessels and nerves. By 23 million years ago, during the early Miocene, most of the giant penguins had long died off, all except Anthropodyptes gilli. They are chubby with thick orange bills and scruffy yellow crests slicked back like a businessman from the 60Royal penguins come ashore in October to breed, laying two eggs – although only one will survive.

Because maximum foraging depths can be reached in five minutes, there isn’t enough time for the retina to adapt to the changing light. To enable chicks the best chance of survival, adults incubate the egg in subzero conditions (some days hit -40 degrees Fahrenheit/Celsius) during the dead of winter.