Penguin Facts – Interesting Facts About Penguins

Penguin Facts for Kids

Emperor penguins are the tallest species, nearly 4 feet tall.

Little Blue Penguins are the smallest species, only about 16 inches.

Gentoo Penguin is the fastest species that can reach swimming speeds up to 22 mph.

Penguin’s coloring is meant for camouflage. Their black heads blend into the depths of oceans and their white bellies are hidden against the bright surface.

Penguin’s ancestors have survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Fossils of penguins found date back to 60 million years ago.

Penguins while hunting for fish ingest a lot of sea water, but a special gland behind the eyes, called the supraorbital gland filters out the saltwater from their blood stream. That is excreted through beaks or by sneezing.

Penguins molt at once, unlike other birds which lose and replace few feathers at a time. This is called catastrophic molt lasting for two or three weeks, during which penguins stay on land.

Most penguins are monogamous, that is they mate the same penguin season after season.

Most penguin species often return to their exact nesting site, or rookery in which they were born.