What is it about penguins that makes them so adorable and so popular? Is it their dapper tuxedo coloring, their upright stance, or their amusing waddle? Whatever the reason, here's the best of what the Web has to offer penguin lovers and student researchers.
"Emperor penguins are the largest of the seventeen species, or kinds, of penguins, and they spend their entire lives on the cold Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive -- breeding, raising young, and eating -- by relying on a number of clever adaptations." Best clicks include Fun Facts ("Emperor penguins can stay underwater longer than any other bird."), and the video and audio clips. Links to previous Creature Features (including polar bears, tigers, and koalas) are found on the Fun Facts page on the right-hand side.
"Inside this site you will find everything you want to know about penguins. There are around 150 information pages and over 200 photographs. Although most people seem to associate penguins with the cold Antarctic regions, in fact penguins can be found around the coasts of most islands in the southern ocean. The most northerly penguins are found on the Galapagos Islands which straddle the equator." Pete and Barb are fanatical about collecting everything penguin (she even drives a car "decked out with Ad�lie penguins all round") and their collection of penguin fact and whimsy is first class.
"Penguins are appealing animals. We tend to feel a certain kinship with them. Like us, they're social and curious, they walk upright and care for their young. Besides, they look like they're wearing tuxedos. Who, besides us, would be so silly?" Best click is the live video cam (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. P.S.T) of the blackfooted penguins, hatched in an aquarium in New Orleans but native to South Africa. "Watch our exhibit penguins as they hop up on rocks, dive and swim, much like penguins in the wild."
"My life has been shaped by penguins. They have inhabited my dreams and fueled my longings for distant shores and cold, windswept islands. As a young man, penguins stirred in me a passion for the natural world and nudged me towards a career as a wildlife photographer." Meet Kevin Schafer, an award-winning wildlife photographer who recently published a book of his fabulous penguin photos. As you click through his six-page gallery, let your mouse hover over the photo thumbnails to view a larger image.
"Do polar bears eat penguins? No, penguins cleverly avoid being eaten by polar bears by living in separate hemispheres! Do penguins have knees? Yes. Penguins appear to have very short legs and no knees because only the lower leg is externally visible." In addition to a well-written FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, this penguin site hosts conservation news, articles on the seven penguin species found in New Zealand, penguin games and penguin photos for free use as Windows wallpaper.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
The Penguin PageSea World Penguins | Shedd Aquarium Penguins |
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