10 largest penguins in the world

Penguins are well known for their distinctive gait and black and white markings, and these flightless birds are loved all over the world, but what is the largest penguin in the world? There are currently 18 penguin species left in the world, predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere, of which 11 are classified as endangered. Although today penguins are smaller than the now extinct species (more on that below!), of course, there are also large ones.

Here are 10 of the largest penguin species in terms of height.

# 10: African Penguin

You will be easily forgiven for not associating Africa with penguins, but there is indeed an African penguin that is found along the coast of South Africa and ranks tenth with a height of 26.5 to 27.5 inches. Also sometimes known as the donkey penguin, these birds make a sound very similar to the roar of a donkey. They are easily distinguished by the pink markings above their eyes, which are actually the glands they use to help them regulate their body temperature. They also have a black horseshoe-shaped mark on the underside of the chest. Unfortunately, they are under threat for several reasons – the threat from predators, localized fishing that forced them to look for food further, and oil spills, which significantly affected their numbers – and they are now classified as an endangered species by dry land. IUCN Red List.

# 9: Humboldt Penguin

The Humboldt Penguin is similar in appearance to the African penguin, with the same black horseshoe-shaped mark on the chest, but they are slightly larger and are 28 inches tall. They are endemic to South America and are often found in Chile and Peru. Their preferred habitat is rocky shores and caves, where they like to build their nests during the breeding season from March to December. The Humboldt Penguin primarily feeds on fish, although some colonies are known to eat squid and crabs. Due to industrialization and mining, as well as predators such as rats eating their eggs, the population is declining and they are now officially a vulnerable species.

# 8: Pasta Penguin

The Macaroni penguin is about 28 inches tall and is native to the Falkland Islands in Chile and a number of islands in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is a crested penguin with a yellow or orange crest on its head and a large orange beak. The macaroni penguin is a migratory bird that can be found on rocky cliffs near the sea during the October to April breeding season, then spend the next six months on the high seas, often traveling to the Indian Ocean. While it once had a healthy and prosperous population, it has declined in recent years and is now classified as vulnerable.

# 7: Magellanic Penguin

The Magellanic Penguin is 24 to 30 inches tall and is found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. They are closely related to both the African penguin and the Humboldt penguin, and they have the same horseshoe-shaped stripe on their chest, although Magellanic penguins also have a black stripe around the crown. Unlike some other penguin species, Magellanic penguins mate for life and nest each year in the same location, usually in areas with a lot of vegetation to provide shelter. They go to sea after the breeding season, like the Macaroni penguins, and can often travel thousands of miles before returning to their nest the following year.

# 6: King Penguin

The king penguin is the largest of the crested penguins, measuring 26-30 inches in height and can weigh up to 18 pounds. King penguins have a bright yellow-black crest and white face with a white belly and chest, as well as a black back and flippers. They are endemic to Macquarie Island in Australia, where most of them nest, but some can also be found on nearby islands. Although they lay two eggs, usually only one of them hatches. King penguins prefer to live on beaches or bare areas by the sea and feed on small fish and squid.

# 5: yellow-eyed penguin

The yellow-eyed penguin reaches 24-31 inches in height and is endemic to New Zealand. They are easy to recognize as they have yellow eyes, hence the name, and a pale yellow stripe running from the eyes around the back of the head, and the rest of the head is usually dark brown rather than black. Yellow-eyed penguins can be quite fussy penguins as they have a habit of not nesting within sight of another pair, although they mate for life, and both male and female share responsibilities to sit on eggs during the incubation period and care for chicks thereafter. how they hatched. Unfortunately, the yellow-eyed penguin is in danger from an unknown disease that has affected chicks in colonies in several different areas, and therefore they are now endangered.

# 4: chinstrap penguin

The chinstrap penguin is widespread in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Argentina and other nearby islands. They usually reach 28-31 inches and have a distinctive appearance: the crown of the head is black and the rest is white, but with a thin black stripe running under the chin, which is where they get their name. They build their nests from stones, and both parents hatch eggs. Chinstrap penguins often swim about 50 miles a day when hunting, but they are often at risk of predators both on land and at sea. Their main predators are leopard seals and large seabirds such as skuas and southern giant petrels. However, despite this, their population remains healthy and not under threat.

# 3: Gentoo Penguin

The Gentoo Penguin can reach a maximum height of 35 inches, although the average is around 31 inches. They are found primarily in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Gentoo penguins have a black head with a white stripe across, making them easily distinguishable from other penguin species. They build their nests in piles of rocks and can be very territorial over them, and violent fights often break out between males. Although other large seabirds often prey on eggs and chicks, healthy adults do not have predators on land, but killer whales and seals pose a threat to them while they are in the water.

# 2: King Penguin

Second on our list is the king penguin, which can grow up to 33-37 inches in height, can weigh 40 pounds, and is found in Antarctica, South Georgia and nearby islands. Apart from the traditional penguin markings of a black back and white underside, they have a black head with orange spots on each side and an orange mark on the upper chest which gives them a stunning look. King penguins can swim and can dive over 200 feet when hunting small fish and squid. This species is especially unique as their eggs are pear-shaped and they do not build nests; instead, king penguins carry their eggs on their feet and incubate them in a pouch. Although overfishing threatens their food source, king penguins are not believed to be under any threat and the population remains healthy.

# 1: Emperor Penguin

The largest penguin in the world is the emperor penguin. At 45 inches tall, these giants can weigh up to 100 pounds. They are very similar in appearance to king penguins, but have pale yellow markings on the upper chest and head instead of orange ones. Emperor penguins are endemic to Antarctica and breed during harsh winters. At this time, the male penguin incubates the egg on its legs and does not eat at all for the 65-75 days required for it to hatch. Emperor penguins usually huddle together to keep warm as they endure the harsh conditions they endure with youngsters in the middle where they are more sheltered.

Emperors are also known to be able to dive the deepest of all kinds of penguins – even deeper than king penguins – and they have been recorded diving deeper than 1,000 feet. Due to the reduced hatching rate and the effect of fishing on the food source, emperor penguins are now classified as critically endangered on the IUCN red list.

Bonus: the biggest penguins ever!

The largest penguin ever to roam the Earth was the Colossus Penguin (Palaeeudyptes klekowskii). The huge penguin species grew to 8 feet (twice the size of modern emperor penguins) and weighed over 250 pounds.

The first skeletal remains of a colossus penguin were found in 2014 and are incomplete, so there is still a lot to learn about this ancient species! The giant penguins are believed to have lived about 37 million years ago. However, a colossal penguin cannot hold the title of largest penguin forever. Since ancient penguins lived in Antarctica, where fossil remains were often trapped under massive snow drifts, a future species of even larger penguin may one day be found!