Types of Penguins – Different Types of Penguins

There are 17 different types of penguins, each of them differing slightly from each other. Here is an overview of about nine different types of penguins. I hope you enjoy it.

Different Types of Penguins

Emperor Penguin

Among all the different types of penguins  widely known, emperor penguin is the biggest of all penguin types in the world. The emperor penguins weigh up to almost 85 lbs and measuring 48-inch in height. Besides, such types of penguinsexhibit vibrant spray of yellowish-orange shade at the chest while dark from rear side and have a white frontage.

Where do Emperor Penguins Live?

Antarctica (Weddell and Ross Sea) is the only region in this planet where you’ll track down these types of penguins.

Food Intake

Such types of penguins usually munch through the following:

1. Squids
2. Fishes
3. Crustacean
4. Krill

Dive Range and Time Underwater

These types of penguinshave a capacity to go for a dip underwater at about 1,700 feet beneath the sea water, which is the longest ever achieved among all the different types of penguins. Also, they can stay inside that water for almost 20 min.

Breeding Season & Number of Eggs laid by Emperor Penguin

The breeding season of such types of penguins is usually winter period and the female penguin lays just 1 egg.

Age Limit

They may live for almost 20 years at the most.

Predators of Emperor Penguin

1. Shark
2. Whale
3. Sea lion

African Penguin or Black Footed Penguin or Jackass Penguin

These types of penguins usually weigh about 11 lbs and almost 27 inch in height. Due to the peculiar characteristics, African penguin is recognized quite effortlessly among all the different types of penguins since there are some dark marks and patterns at the abdomen while skull and rear sides are murky. One of the great features of such types of penguins is that each strip is fairly dissimilar to the other one.

Where do African Penguins live?

These types of penguins are readily located in the shoreline of South Africa.

Food Intake

1. Squids
2. Pilchard
3. Anchovies
4. Sardine
5. Crustacean
6. Krill

Breeding Season & Number of Eggs

These types of penguins usually breed in the initial half of February in every year while the female lays only 2 sea green eggs.

Age Limit and Population

These types of penguins may have a lifespan of about 10 years and for the last thirty-five years; the population of African penguins has plummeted to a great extent as almost 1.35 million penguins were killed during this era. Besides in 2000, almost 19,000 African penguins breathed their last because of oil leakage.

Swimming Speed

These types of penguins usually rummage around for their diet at a distance of about 96 kilometers and go swimming at a rapid pace of twenty miles per hour.

Predators of African Penguin

1. Shark
2. Fur seal
3. Kelp Gull

Adelie Penguin

These types of penguins are likely to be undersized among the different types of penguins and for that reason they sound to be quite heavy at times however they weigh up to 15 lbs. Moreover, their height is only 30 inches. Despite of this, there are some distinctive characteristics as well like at the extremity of the bill as well as in the region of eyes, white circles are usually apparent. Also, such types of penguins possess a stretchy tail and a red-shaded mouth which is murky at the end.

Where do Adelie Penguins live?

Apart from Antarctica, these types of penguins also live in Ross Island (about five million).

Food Intake

1. Krill
2. Silverfish
3. Crustacean
4. Squids
5. Small shrimps

Breeding Season and Dive Range

Such types of penguins usually breed in the first part of January of each year. At times, they go for a dip at about 500 feet underwater looking for their diet.

Predator of Adelie Penguin

Leopard seal

King Penguin

These types of penguins are next to the Emperor penguins, particularly when it comes to the size among all the different types of penguins. They can weigh up to 35 lbs and a height of about 3 feet. The main structure of such types of penguins is largely shadowy while some feeling of blue shade is also there at the rear side. At the rear as well as at the bill of these penguin types, there is gloomy yellow shade, which is also apparent at their frontage too.

Where do King Penguins live?

They can be readily found in:

1. Antarctica
2. Prince Edward Islands
3. Falkland Islands
4. South Georgia
5. Australia
6. New Zealand

Food Intake

1. Lantern fish
2. Crustacean
3. Squids
4. Krill

Breeding Season, Population & Dive Range

The breeding period for such types of penguins begins from September and ends on November while female penguin lays just 1 egg. The entire population of these types of penguins is nearly 4,500,000 across the globe. They can also go for a dip at almost 700 feet underwater mainly in the hunt for their food.

Predators of King Penguin

1. Killer whale
2. Voracious birds
3. Leopard seal

Galapagos Penguin

These types of penguins are fairly undersized with weighing almost 5 lbs and measuring a height of about 20 inches. Having a shadowy skull with a white frame, these penguins also have a white abdomen along with little gloomy marks.

Where do Galapagos Penguins lives?

Such types of penguins are readily found in Galapagos Islands.

Food Intake

1. Sardine
2. Krill
3. Mullet
4. Crustacean
5. Fishes

Breeding Season & Number of Eggs

Such types of penguins do not have a fixed breeding period as the other different types of penguins and they court almost 3 times in a year. The female penguin usually lays about 2 eggs.

Predators of Galapagos Penguin

1. Hawk
2. Rat
3. Seal
4. Shark

Humboldt Penguin

These types of penguins are more often not more than 13 lbs in weight. There is a murky strip at the chest of these penguins while just single strip displays at their neck too.

Where do Humboldt Penguins live?

Such types of penguins are readily found in Pacific Coast (South America). Besides, some reports regarding their existence in Peru and Chile are also received.

Swimming Speed & Food Intake

These types of penguins can even swim at a fast pace of about 20 miles per hour while the food intake is largely composed of:

1. Krill
2. Fishes
3. Smelt
4. Anchovies
5. Herring
6. Crustaceans

Population, Age Limit & Number of Eggs

The maximum lifespan of these types of penguins is almost 30 years but the real problem is that they are becoming extinct by the passage of time and a very small number of 12,000 of Humboldt penguins are left behind. The female penguin lays about 3 eggs.

Predators of Humboldt Penguin

Voracious birds

Macaroni Penguin

These types of penguins are easily distinguished among the different types of penguins, primarily due to the attractive shades of feather located at their skull. Being vibrant-shaded, these penguins are yellowish colored along with a shadowy touch. They can weigh up to almost 12 lbs and a height of about 28 inches.

Where do Macaroni Penguins live?

They are readily present in the Antarctica neck of land.

Food Intake

1. Squids
2. Tiny fishes
3. Krill

Number of Eggs, Population & Dive Range

The female penguins usually lay about 2 eggs. The population of these types of penguins is more or less 18,000,000 throughout the world and they can go for a dip at almost 200 feet beneath the sea water.

Predators of Macaroni Penguin

1. Voracious birds
2. Killer whale
3. Leopard seal

Little Blue Penguin or Fairy Penguin

Being the smallest of all the different types of penguins across the globe, fairy penguins weigh almost 2 lbs and a height of about 16 inches. The profound blue shade is quite clearly visible at the apex as well as on the rear side of these species while the frontage is absolutely white.

Where do Little Blue Penguins live?

These types of penguins are readily located in:

1. Australia
2. Chile
3. New Zealand
4. Tasmania (although very few)

Food Intake

1. Squids
2. Fish
3. Krill
4. Baby octopus
5. Crustacean
6. Anchovies
7. Sea horse
8. Eggs of a crab

Age Limit, Breeding Season & Number of Eggs

Such types of penguins can live up to almost 6.5 years typically. The breeding period of these types of penguins usually begins in the month of June in every year and the female penguin lays about 2 eggs only.

Predators of Little Blue Penguin

1. Snake
2. Shark
3. Seal
4. Lizard
5. Fishing net
6. Sea gull
7. Killer whale
8. Sea eagle
9. Sea lion
10. Dog
11. Rats

Rockhopper Penguin or Crested Penguin

Being extremely attractive shaded feathers, you may easily locate these types of penguins from faraway. The weight of these penguins is almost 5 lbs while their height is almost 21 inches.

Where do Rockhopper Penguins live?

These types of penguins are readily located in Antarctica.

Food Intake

1. Squids
2. Little fishes
3. Krill

Non verbal Signals

1. Wobble the head
2. Bending over
3. Maneuvering the flippers
4. Preening

Breeding Season & Number of Eggs

The breeding period of these types of penguins mainly begins in summer and the female lays merely 2 eggs.

Population & Age Limit

The population of these types of penguins is more or less 3,000,000 around the globe and they can live up to 10 years.

Predators of Rockhopper Penguin

1. Shark
2. Fur seal
3. Leopard
4. Voracious birds

More Penguin Species

• Chinstrap Penguin Facts
• Magellanic Penguin Facts
• Gentoo Penguin Facts
• Royal Penguin Facts
• Yellow Eyed Penguin Facts

Different Types of Penguin Videos – Penguin Migration