#Family: Spheniscidae

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[herpsandbirds]

do you have a favourite penguin!

Oh yes, absolutely!!!

Fairy or Blue or Little Penguin (Eudyptula spp.), family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, found in coastal areas of New Zealand and southern Australia

This is the smallest penguin.

They nest in burrows at or near the coast.

This species has been split into 2 species, E. minor and E. novaehollandiae was split off in 2016.

photographs by JJ Harrison 

[dougdimmadodo]

Fast Fauna Facts #27 - Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)

Family: Penguin Family (Spheniscidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened

Named for their striking yellow crests which resemble crowns, Royal Penguins (not to be mistaken for the much larger Emperor Penguin or King Penguin) are found primarily on Macquarie Island (a small, largely rocky island between southern Aotearoa/New Zealand and northern Antarctica,) although they are also occasionally spotted on other neighbouring islands. Like most penguins Royal Penguins typically roost and nest in large, noisy colonies on rocky, well-vegetated beaches and leave the shore periodically to hunt for small fish, crustaceans and squids; members of this species rarely travel far from their colony when searching for prey, and as such several neighbouring colonies may coexist with limited competition for resources. Royal Penguins were historically extensively hunted for their blubber which was used to produce oil, but following the banning of penguin hunting on Macquarie in the late 1910's their populations have slowly recovered and are now believed to be stable.

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[quillpokebiology]

Delibird Facts

In honor of the upcoming holidays, here are Delibird Facts!

-The scientific name for Delibird is "Avis Holius" which roughly translates to "Holiday bird"

-Delibird are in the Spheniscidae family, making them related to pokemon like Empoleon and Eiscue

-Delibird carry food and other materials in their tail sacs. While they often give this food to other people or pokemon, they will politely refuse if they have young they're caring for

-Delibird are biologically designed to overcollect more food since they end up giving so much away

-While their food has helped many people in desperate times, don't expect to always

-Delibird mate for life

-Yes, Delibird can fly. They just don't do it often. It's actually surprising they can fly, since their wings are very weak and their bodies are very fat

-Their blubber helps keep them warm in cold climates. The Delibird in alola usually have less blubber

-You'd think that with their webbed feet and blubbery bodies, the Delibird would live near water, but there is almost no water on the icy mountain peaks where they make their homes. Their bodies are the biggest hint thst they're recently diverged from Empoleon

-While they can swim well, they're very buoyant and can have trouble swimming in deep waters

-While Delibird were common depictions of Santa, many Unovan movies had instead made Beartic Santa which has spread, so now Delibird are seen as Santa's helpers during the holidays

-Delibird are one of the most common pokemon for post office workers for how much they can carry in their sacs

-Delibird with the largest tails are the most respected in their flocks

-Delbird court each other by singing in groups. The tunes they sing vary between each group, but the songs they sing are called carols

-Delibird will also give their partners rocks as gifts (if I hear someone say anything about how that's stupid, please note how humans do the exact same thing)

-When Delibird first hatch, they come out with completely white down. They gain their red feathers as they reach adulthood

[travelella]

Gentoo Penguins in Antarctica

Birger Strahl

Name: Gentoo penguin

Scientific Name: Pygoscelis papua

Class: Aves

Domain: Eukaryota

Family: Spheniscidae

Location: Antarctica and Sub Antarctic Islands

Conservation status: Least concern

Diet: Crustaceans (krill), fish, squid

DISTRIBUTION

Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands

ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT

Nest on flat or rocky beaches and beach grass; feed in cold nearshore waters

[critter-captures]

Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti), family Spheniscidae (penguins)

They have spines on their tongues, as well as in their mouths, used to hold prey and prevent it from escaping.

Young Humboldt penguins have less distinct markings, lacking the breast band of adults (see pink-banded penguin in last picture).

Ouwehands Dierenpark (top 3), Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (bottom 4), taken June 2024

[juliehowlin]

Penguins

All penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere, but they don't all live in very cold places. One species, the Galápagos Penguin, lives near the equator.

10 things you might not know about penguins:

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[herpsandbirds]

African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, Boulders Penguin Colony, Table Mountain National Park, South Africa

ENDANGERED.

photographs via: SANParks - Table Mountain National Park

[travelella]

King Penguins in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (British Overseas Territory)

Birger Strahl

Scientific name: Aptenodytes patagonicus

Conservation status: Least Concern (Population increasing) 

Mass: 21 – 38 lbs

Family: Spheniscidae

Class: Aves

Domain: Eukaryota

Genus: Aptenodytes

The king penguin is the second largest species of penguin, smaller, but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. There are two subspecies, A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli in the South Indian Ocean and at Macquarie Island.

[juliehowlin]

World Penguin Day

All penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere, but they don't all live in very cold places. One species, the Galápagos Penguin, lives near the equator.

On World Penguin Day, 10 things you might not know about penguins:

[fuzzysparrow]

Penguins, of the 'Spheniscidae' family, are aquatic flightless birds that live predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of the Galápagos penguin, found north of the Equator.

The 'Spheniscidae' are divided into several subfamilies, each of whom have adapted to their surrounding climate. 'Aptenodytes', or great penguins, include the Emperor and King penguins found in Antarctica. 'Pygoscelis Wagler', or brush-tailed penguins, live in more humid areas, for instance, the Gentoo penguin found on the Falkland Islands. 'Eudyptula Bonaparte', or little penguins, are found in Australia and New Zealand, whereas the 'Megadyptes', such as yellow-eyed penguins, only live in the latter.

'Eudyptes Vieillot', or crested penguins, such as the Macaroni penguin, tend to live around the Indian ocean. 'Spheniscus Brisson', or banded penguins, which include the Galápagos penguin, frequent the coasts of South America and Africa.

Although most people associate penguins with snow and freezing temperatures, the majority live in the tropics. They are easily recognised by their countershaded dark and white plumage and flippers for swimming.

[scottpartridge]

The penguins, order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae. This graphic is part of the AVE (Avian Vector Encyclopedia), an ongoing project. 

[symbiotic-science]

Abstract

Penguins are classified in the order Sphenisciformes into a single family, Spheniscidae. The genus Pygoscelis Wagler, 1832, is composed of three species, Pygoscelis antarcticus Forster, 1781, P. papua Forster, 1781 and P.adeliae Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841. In this work, the objective was to describe and to compare the karyotypes of Pygoscelis penguins contributing genetic information to Sphenisciformes. The metaphases were obtained by lymphocyte culture, and the diploid number and the C-banding pattern were determined. P. antarcticus has 2n = 92, P. papua 2n = 94 and P. adeliae exhibited 2n = 96 in males and 2n = 95 in females. The difference of diploid number in P. adeliae was identified as a multiple sex chromosome system where males have Z1Z1Z2Z2 and females Z1Z2W. The C-banding showed the presence of a heterochromatic block in the long arm of W chromosome and Z2 was almost entirely heterochromatic. The probable origin of a multiple system in P. adeliae was a translocation involving the W chromosome and the chromosome ancestral to Z2. The comparison made possible the identification of a high karyotype homology in Sphenisciformes which can be seen in the conservation of macrochromosomes and in the Z chromosome. The karyotypic divergences in Pygoscelis are restricted to the number of microchromosomes and W, which proved to be highly variable in size and morphology. The data presented in this work corroborate molecular phylogenetic proposals, supporting the monophyletic origin of penguins and intraspecific relations.

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[herpsandbirds]

King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, South Georgia Island

photograph by Thomas Kallmeyer