How Much Do Penguins Weigh?
According to the ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System), there are about 19 different species of penguin; all these species of penguins weigh different.
Penguins weigh from a range of 2 to 90 pounds depending on the species of the penguin and the stage of their breeding cycle. The little blue penguins are found near the coast of Australia and New Zealand. They are the smallest and weigh up to 2 or 3 pounds.
The emperor penguins that are found in the Antarctic is the most significant and the largest species of penguin. Sometimes they stand tall at the height of up to 36 to 44 inches or 91.44 to 111.76 cm and weigh between 60 and 90 pounds or 27.21 up to 40.82 kg.
1) Adelie Penguins Weight
Adelie penguins weigh around 4.5 kg, and the length is approximately 30-50 cm. These penguins also have long feathers that cover a significant portion of the red-colored bill.
2) African Penguins Weight
The nickname for African Penguins is Jackass penguins. They make sounds that are just like the braying of donkeys. These penguins weigh between 24 to 7.5 pounds (2 to 3.5 kg) and stand tall to about 24 to 28 inches.
3) Chinstrap Penguins Weight
Chinstrap penguins are also called bearded or ringed penguins. The Adult Chinstrap penguins weigh up to 13 pounds (6 kg), and it can be as tall as 25 to 27 inches.
4) Emperor Penguins Weight
The emperor penguin which is found in the Antarctic is the biggest species of penguins and additionally the heaviest penguins that are seen today. An emperor penguin stands approximately up to 36 to 44 inches tall and weighs among 60 to 90 pounds.
5) Fairy/Little Penguins Weight
Little Penguins are also referred to as fairy penguins; the reason is mainly due to their small size. The smallest penguin species is called as Fairy/Little blue penguin. These penguins grow up to 10 to 12 inches or 25.4 to 30.48 centimeters tall with weight at merely 2 to 3 lbs or 0.90 to 1.36 kilograms.
6) Fiordland Crested Penguins Weight
Fiordland Crested penguins have yellow crests on their heads. Their entire body is white and black. These penguins weigh up to 8 pounds (3.5 kg) and stand tall to about 60 inches.
7) Galapagos Penguins Weight
Galapagos Penguins are famous penguins like the Humboldt, African, and Magellanic species. These penguins weigh between 5.5 to 6 pounds (2.5 to 2.6 kg) and are about 19 inches tall.
8) Gentoo Penguins Weight
Gentoo Penguins have orange or bright-red beaks and two streaks of white feathers across their heads on top of their eyes. They weigh between 11 to 19 pounds (5 to 8.5 kg) and stand tall to about 20 to 35 inches.
9) Humboldt Penguins Weight
Humboldt Penguins are also identified as Peruvian penguins. Humboldt penguins get their name from the place they swim at the Humboldt Current. They weigh between 8 to 13 pounds (3.5 to 6 kg) and stand tall to about 22 to 30 inches.
10) King Penguins Weight
King Penguin’s wings are used as flippers when in water which is the characteristic feature of all types of penguins. Female Penguins are smaller than male king penguins. They have an average weight of around 14-16 kg, and they are about 90 cm in height.
11) Macaroni Penguins Weight
Macaroni penguins are close relatives of Royal penguins. They weigh up to 12 pounds and stand tall to about 28 inches.
12) Magellanic Penguins Weight
These penguins get their name from their discoverer, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. These penguins weigh between 6 to 14 pounds (2.8 to 6.5 kg) and stand tall to about 24 to 30 inches.
13) Rockhopper Penguins Weight
These penguins are rather small in size and can reach up to 55 cm in length. These penguins weigh around 3.35 kg on an average.
14) Yellow-eyed Penguins Weight
The studies about these Penguins show that they are relatives of the crested penguins. They weigh about 12 to 18 pounds (5 to 8 kg) before molting and between 6.5 to 13 kilos (3 to 6 kg) after molting. They stand tall to about 25 to 30 inches.
15) Erect-crested Penguins Weight
Those penguins weigh between 5.5 to 13 pounds (3 to 6 kg) and stand tall to about 20 to 27 inches. Erect-crested penguins have a bluish-black back, and face and their neck and chest are white.
16) Royal Penguins Weight
Royals penguins have crests on their heads which makes them look very similar to Macaroni penguins. However, their faces and chins are white. They weigh between 7 to 17 pounds (3 to 8 kg) and stand tall to about 25 to 30 inches.
17) Snares Penguins Weight
Snares Penguins are small to mid-sized creatures that are among 22 to 28 inches tall and weigh up to 5.5 to 9 pounds (2.5 to 4 kg).
Conclusion:
The shape, height, and weight of all penguins make them aerodynamic, contribute to the waddling walk and help them glide through the water as they swim.
Most birds have hollow bones, but penguins do not. Their heavier bones counteract the natural buoyancy and make them very quick swimmers. According to the World Wildlife Fund, they swim at the speed of 15 mph (24.14 kph).
Reference:
https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/much-penguin-weigh-36b85e94076f705c
Image source:
- Adelie Penguins by Liam Quinn / CC BY
- African penguins by flowcomm / CC BY
- Chinstrap Penguins by Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY
- Emperor penguins by lin padgham / CC BY
- Fairy penguins by Tanya Dropbear / CC BY
- Fiordland Crested Penguins by Francesco Veronesi / CC BY
- Galapagos penguin by Brian Gratwicke / CC BY
- Gentoo Penguins by dfaulder / CC BY
- humboldt penguins by ArtTower / Pixabay License
- King Penguins by David Stanley / CC BY
- Macaroni Penguins by Liam Quinn / CC BY
- Magellanic Penguins by Liam Quinn / CC BY
- Rockhopper Penguins by NPschorr / Pixabay License
- Yellow eyed penguin by Bernard Spragg. NZ / CC BY
- Erect Crested Penguin by Royal New Zealand Navy / CC BY
- Royal penguins by Brocken Inaglory / CC BY
- Snares Penguin by Thomas Mattern / CC BY
