How to help penguins (photos)

Penguins are found in the Southern Hemisphere and come in all sizes ranging from 13 to 48 inches in height. The smallest is the little penguin from Australia and New Zealand; the largest is the emperor penguin of Antarctica. While these birds cannot fly through the air, they are very adept at using their wings to propel themselves through the water. Some penguins can dive to depths of about 1,750 feet. Their dark and light feathers are tightly packed — 70 feathers per square inch — keeping them insulated in the cold conditions of the marine environment where they live. Chinstrap penguins are found in Antarctica and the world’s other southernmost islands. Changing ocean conditions affect their main food source, krill. Credit: © Julie Larsen Maher / WCS Penguins are social animals that live in colonies like this one of chinstrap penguins characterized by noisy vocalizations. Credit: Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS Penguins are noisy and use various calls to attract mates, find their chicks, frighten off would-be predators, or just fuss with their neighboring penguins. Several species have distinctive calls. Magellanic and gentoo penguins bray. Chinstrap penguins scream, causing quite a cacophony in their colonies. Today, penguins are in trouble. They depend on the sea for food and coastal lands to nest, rear their chicks, and molt. Close to two-thirds of the world’s 17 penguin species face population pressures from threats like overfishing, oil spills, and man-made changes to the birds’ environment. Macaroni penguins are among the penguin species that…

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