SO CUTE!!!

I don't think it's possible to find a cuter picture! I found this picture on the Animal Planet Website when I searched for Penguins. Believe it or not, this IS a species of penguin. In fact, it's a king penguin chick! This chick has extra downy feathers to keep warm during its first winter.

The chick is born in the middle of the summer, where the mother and father both protect and feed it for a little over a month. When the summer ends, the parents actually leave their young. The chick must huddle together with others to keep warm in the winter. The parents return every once in a while to help feed their chick. When spring comes, the family is reunited again. The chick is fed until it grows adult feathers of its own, which usually happens later that summer.

On the island of Crozet (near Antarctica), there are four distinct penguin species: the Rockhopper, Gentoo, Macaroni, and King penguins.
The Rockhopper Penguin is shown above. It is the smallest crested penguin, and the only crested penguin with a black occipital crest, allowing it to change the shape of their face. It is often confused with the Macaroni Penguin, although it is about 20-30% smaller.

According to Animal Planet, "The Rockhopper usually gets about jumping from rock to rock, hence, the name Rockhopper."

The Gentoo Penguin is the fastest penguin in the ocean, reaching 22 miles per hour. It is known for the white stripes over its eyes which meet across the crown. The Gentoo is pictured below.
Macaroni Penguins are the most abundant species of penguin in the world. It is similar to the Rockhopper, but larger. Macaroni Penguins have orange feather plumes and are larger than other crested penguins. Macaroni Penguins are pictured below.

King Penguins are the second largest penguin after the Emperor Penguins, measuring about 3 feet tall and at an average of 33 pounds. Their breeding season lasts for about 14 months, making it impossible to breed annually. They are similar to Emperor Penguins, but are distinguished by orange coloring on their breasts, and actually run with their feet instead of hop. King Penguins are shown below.



















Reichert,David. (2008). Creatures of Crozet: A Man Among Orcas. Retrieved on March 12, 2008 from http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/wildkingdom/orcas/tour/tour_04.html

Davis, Dr. Lloyd Spencer. (2008). Macaroni Penguin. Retrieved on March 12, 2008 from http://www.penguinworld.com/types/macaroni.html