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A Penguin Lover's Guide to Antarctica
Penguin lovers on a luxury Antarctica cruise are in for a treat as they voyage across the Southern Ocean, where you find the world’s greatest variety of these distinctive seabirds. From the mighty emperor to the diminutive rockhopper, get familiar with the distinctive features and behaviors that define Antarctica’s most captivating penguin species.
By Bob Whiting, A&K Staff Writer | April 14, 2017
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If there’s such a thing as a “classic” penguin, it’s the wide-eyed Adélie penguin, with its iconic tuxedo-like markings. They’re powerful swimmers and no slouch on land either, waddling up to 30 miles from their nests for food.
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With a thin black line crossing their otherwise plain white faces, chinstrap penguins are aptly named. These medium-sized birds are among the region’s most numerous, with an astonishing eight million breeding pairs spread throughout the islands.
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The largest of all penguins, emperors can reach four feet tall and weigh nearly 100 pounds. They are rarely spotted by Antarctic visitors, preferring inland pack ice, where they congregate and breed in vast colonies.
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Gentoo penguins are distinguishable by their bright orange beak and feet, as well as the white “cap” marking on their heads. While most small penguins eat krill, gentoos eats fish, and can dive up to 400 feet in search of a meal.
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Standing at three feet tall on average, the king is the largest penguin most visitors to Antarctica will see. Kings are abundant around South Georgia and other subantarctic islands, though not as numerous on the mainland itself.
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Magellanic penguins have a wide range, breeding in the Antarctic as well as the South American mainland, with some being seen as far north as Brazil. Their habitat is especially vulnerable to oil spills, which make Magellanic penguins a threatened species.
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With their spiky crests, yellow eyebrows and pink feet, rockhopper penguins are hard to mistake. They earn their name from their penchant for breeding on cliffsides and steep slopes, which they navigate with ease.
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