Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Penguins in Antarctica

While all 17 species of penguins are only native to the Southern Hemisphere, only 7 species are native to the Antarctic.  Of these species the Adelie has the widest range appearing on much of the Antarctic coast.  The Emperor penguin also is native to many parts of the Antarctic coast.

Both the Chinstrap and Gentoo penguin species are found on the Antarctic Peninsula and some sub-Antarctic islands.  The Chinstrap is also found on part of the Antarctic coast on the non-peninsula side of the Weddell Sea.  The Gentoo is present on more sub-Antarctic islands than the Chinstrap.

The Macaroni penguin is mostly found on sub-Antarctic islands, but is also native to the northernmost Antarctic peninsula region and southern coasts in South America.  The Rockhopper penguins have similar distribution being found on many sub-Antarctic islands and southern coasts of South America.  They are not native to the Antarctic peninsula region.

Penguins in Antarctica
  • Adelie Penguin
  • Chinstrap Penguin
  • Emperor Penguin
  • Gentoo Penguin
  • King Penguin
  • Macaroni Penguin
  • Rockhopper Penguin
Related Links:
Distribution Map of Penguins

No comments: