Penguin is a seabird which is not single species but they are a group of the nonflying seabirds that belongs to the Spheniscinae family. There are around 18 to 20 species of the penguins in the world, subject to the grouping structure. The maximum species of penguins possess certain general and same features like surviving in the southern hemisphere’s high latitudes.
It is true that the Penguins can’t fly, but they are known for their stroppy and unstable walk. It is the main reason that first Europeans who revealed them named them as the “silly birds.” But, the term “penguin” might arrive from one of the terms specified to auks that look like penguins.
Many of you must be curious to know about that where do penguins live? Are you also one of them?
The simple answer to the above question is southern hemisphere. But to know the answer in detail, you need to read the below article in which we will tell you the places where penguin lives and how they survive in that particular region.
Where Can You Find the Penguins?
Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere only; even though they are well-compatible with the entire continents too. Some people have disbelief that these seabirds only survive in the climate of Antarctica region. Certain species of penguin live nearby to the equator, and usually, any bird can alter its habitat and do the migration to the north once they are not in the season of breeding.
The habitat of the penguins varies from species to species, as they all possess particular climate necessities.
Their habitat varies from the frost layer on Antarctica, such as the emperor penguin, to certain moderate islands nearby the equator, such as the Galapagos penguin. Moreover, few species of penguin live in Australia and South Africa.
Below you can view the distribution of the penguin species and their habitat in detail:
| Name of Species | Natural Habitat |
|---|---|
| King Penguin | Subarctic islands, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia Island. |
| Emperor Penguin | Antarctica |
| Adelie Penguin | Ross Sea Region in Antarctica |
| Chinstrap Penguin | South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia Island, Bouvet, Balleny and Peter Islands |
| Gentoo Penguin | Falkland, South Georgia, Kerguelen, South Shetland, Heard and Macquarie Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula |
| Little Blue Penguin | Southern Australia, New Zealand, Chatham Islands, and Tasmania. Some reports in Chile |
| Northern Little Penguin | New Zealand, nesting only on the Banks Peninsula and Motunau Island |
| Magellanic Penguin | Southern cone of South America. Coastal south Argentina and south Chile including the Falkland Islands |
| Humboldt Penguin | Coastal Peru and Chile in South America |
| Galapagos Penguin | Galapagos Islands |
| African Penguin (Jackass Penguin) | Southwestern coast of Africa |
| Yellow Eyed Penguin | New Zealand in the South-east coast of South Island, Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island and Auckland and Campbell Islands |
| Waitaha Penguin (Extinct) | Used to live in New Zealand |
| Fiordland Penguin | Fiordland coast and Stewart Island/Rakiura |
| Snares Penguin | New Zealand on the Snares Islands |
| Southern Rockhopper Penguin | The American Southern Rockhopper Penguin exists in the Falkland Islands and islands off Argentina and southern Chile. The Indopacific Southern Rockhopper Penguin lives in islands of the Indian and western Pacific oceans |
| Northern Rockhopper Penguin | Northern Rockhoppers breed on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the south Atlantic Ocean, with the remains, originate on St Paul Island and Amsterdam Island in the Indian Ocean |
| Royal Penguin | Lives water nearby Antarctica and breed solitarily on Macquarie Island |
In the above table, you can see the penguins live in the several different places. But, it is correct that the massive population of penguins might only originate in Antarctica and on adjacent landmasses.
The Habitat of Penguins
The habitat of the penguin varies according to the type of species to which they belong. Few penguins might live in the frozen environments, whereas some penguins have a preference of a warmer habitat. The thrilling cold climate is not necessarily their need.
Generally, the penguins live on dense covers of ice, and you can found them nearby the sea always. It helps them in feeding and hunting the food for themselves and their family. It is the main reason that penguins like to live adjoining watercourses of the cold water. In reality, they devote the maximum of their time inside the water; thus, their structure and functioning mainly intended for this purpose.
Besides all this, the habitat of the penguin should fulfill essential purposes, like offering sufficient foodstuff for their nourishment.
Why Do Penguins Live in Antarctica?
The largest communities of the penguins live in a world of Antarctica. But have you wondered that why they prefer to live in Antarctica?
Well! There are excellent reasons that penguins live in Antarctica, and some of them are as follows:
- Antarctica is the most beautiful place for their accommodation.
- Antarctica is the coolest region on the earth.
- The place has very less population.
- Penguins get lots of food in Antarctica.
- Antarctica located at the highest place on earth.
- The Antarctic is drier and colder than the region of the Arctic.
- Penguins belong to the Antarctica region, and that is their natural habitat.
- Penguins can’t get good food and shelter at any other place.
Can Penguins Live in the Warm Climate?
Penguins might live in a warm climate, but the water body present at that place should be cold. But, some species which are suitable for cold environments cannot persist in warm weathers.
Conversely, if the penguin of the cold climate gets born in the warm weather, it could be probable that owing to the adaptation difficulties, it might not survive for the elongated period.
It is not mandatory that penguins need icy and snowy regions for their survival. They don’t live in the Northern Hemisphere possibly like the Polar bears. Penguins are in danger of extinction, and there are decidedly fewer species left now. Thus we should try our best and study as much as we can about the habitat of penguins to make sure that it not endangered.
Do All the Penguins Survive in Cold` Weather Only?
No, there are few species of penguins that live in the tropical climate like African penguins and Galapagos penguins. Such penguins don’t need cold places for their survival like other penguins. Thus, you cannot say that these seabirds only exist in the cold areas of the earth. Diverse categories of penguins live in different region as well as the environment of the world rendering to their nature.
Conclusion:
So, if somebody asks you, that where do penguins live, we hope that now you have the precise answer in your mind.
A large number of penguin species lives in the Southern hemisphere but still there few continents on the earth where these birds do exist like Australia, South America, Europe, etc. They need a specific climate and environment for their survival, and this need varies from species to species.
If you have any query in your mind about the penguin’s habitat then, please let us know in the below comment box. We will ensure that you get the answer to all your queries as soon as possible. You can also share this informative article with all your near and dear ones who do not much about the places where penguins live.
References
https://www.livescience.com/topics/penguins
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/where-do-penguins-live.html
https://in.oyster.com/articles/59067-7-places-to-see-penguins-in-the-wild/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-favorite-penguins-outside-antarctica-15436252/
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