Got those happy feet!

from flickr, by Slow Loris

Pete & Barb's Penguin Pages

Inside this site you will find everything you want to know about penguins. There are more than 150 information pages and 250 photographs.

Buy a cute little penguin

Hand made - the cutest little clay penguins. They look adorable on your desk or monitor and are even more perfect for Linux fans.

Penguin Colony

Penguin Close-up

There's also a great description of Humboldt Penguins
from flickr, by Sunshine Hanan

Penguin a living 'piggy bank'

A Humboldt penguin at the Denver Zoo was getting ready to be shipped to another zoo, but the transfer was held up when veterinarians found coins in the bird's stomach.

Zoo officials said well-wishers toss coins into the penguin pond for good luck, but it's bad luck for the birds that can't differentiate a shiny coin from a shiny scaled fish and ingest them, causing stomach problems.

The adult female Humboldt, who was undergoing a wellness exam, had a blood test that indicated she had a dangerously high level of zinc in her system. Veterinarians had to remove the coins using an endoscope with a small net attached to ''scoop'' the coins from the bird's stomach.

Veterinarians successfully recovered 71 cents and pieces of a partially digested penny from the penguin's stomach. They said despite the inherent risks of any procedure involving anesthesia, the bird recovered fully and the levels of zinc in her blood have dropped back to normal.

Spaced Penguin

Hey there, space cadet! Kevin took a wrong turn and ended up lost in space. Use the highly advanced GPS (Giant Penguin Slingshot) to launch him back to the ship!

Historic visit by sub-Antarctic king takes rescuers by surprise

A KING penguin from the icy sub-Antarctic Islands surprised environmentalists at the weekend when it was found stranded on the beach at Thuyspunt near Cape St Francis.

It is only the third known sighting of the giant penguins on the South African coastline.

The strange visitor was rescued by Trudy Malan, the operations manager of the marine bird rehabilitation centre Ajubatus, and provincial environment department official Hennie de Beer, after a sighting by a member of the public.

Malan said the king penguin was nearly 1m tall. With yellow teardrop-shaped ear patches and a particularly calm demeanour, it was instantly recognisable, she said.

“Only two others have ever been recorded washed ashore in South Africa, at Blaauwberg in Cape Town in 1977 and at the Sundays River mouth in 1982.”

Malan was able to walk up next to the bird and lower a towel over its head, something that would have been impossible with the more aggressive African penguin.

The bird was carried to safety where a marine bird vet examined it and found it apparently unhurt. An antibiotic injection and re-hydrating fluid have been administered and blood samples will be taken to check for any further clues as to why it would have strayed so far from home, and to ensure that it has not picked up any local diseases.

Adopt a Penguin

This Valentine's Day, put a smile on the face of someone you care about with a Defenders of Wildlife Penguin Gift Adoption -- and help protect the adorable critters featured in the popular movies "March of the Penguins" and "Happy Feet."

	Adopt a Penguin today and we'll send that special someone a frame-worthy Certificate of Adoption and a Plush Penguin Toy.

When you do, we'll send that special person in your life a Certificate of Adoption suitable for framing and an adorable Plush Penguin Toy.

Unfortunately for penguins, the earth's temperatures are rising at an alarming rate and the ice at the polar caps is melting. In Antarctica, home to the famous Emperor Penguin, the annual melting season has been extended by as much as 3 weeks in recent decades.

A Gentoo penguin and her babies

'Oddball' idea protects island penguin population

After Warrnambool's once-flourishing penguin population was decimated by foxes and dogs until only 27 remained, Allan "Swampy" Marsh hatched a radical plan to save the birds.

His four maremma sheepdogs had been protecting his chickens against predators for a decade. He figured they could do the same for the penguins.

"The difficulty was trying to convince all the wildlife wallies to think outside the square," Mr Marsh said. "It's not an altruistic view of penguins or chooks but an ingrained sense of territory that makes maremma dogs work, and it is far stronger in these dogs than any other domesticated breed."

Oddball's stint as guardian of Middle Island's colony last month was a success.

At the end of the month, 70 pairs of happy feet were counted returning to the island. About 2000 penguins inhabited the island in the 1990s.

Jackass penguin - Spheniscus dermersus

Named after a donkey because of the loud, braying noise it makes, the Jackass penguin is no fool. It has so far survived many oil spills, poachers and predatory fishermen who have depleted its food stocks.

This flightless seabird is found nowhere in the world except off the coast of southern Africa, thus making it endemic to this area. It breeds on 24 offshore islands between Namibia and Port Elizabeth, including Dassen, Dyer, Jutten and Robben Island in the Western Cape region of South Africa and Boulders Beach and Betty's Bay near Cape Town. Nesting on the mainland is unusual for jackass penguins because they are ground-nesting birds and are vulnerable to the many predators on the mainland.

Baby Rockhopper penguins

Penguin waddles up motorway and onto Auckland Harbour Bridge

First it was kitten, now a penguin.

Police have been called to another animal-traffic incident, rescuing a penguin from the Auckland Harbour Bridge this afternoon.

Motorway monitoring company Attoms had numerous calls throughout the day about the penguin.

But Operations Manager Murray Parker says it took all day to find it. He says when their barrier run was done at three this afternoon the penguin popped its head up. Mr Parker says his staff along with police safely rescued the bird.

It appears the penguin walked from the Auckland side, almost to the top of the bridge.

The penguin's excursion comes a day after police closed a highway in south Auckland to save a wandering kitten.

Denver Zoo Seeks Names For New Penguin

Usually when a baby arrives at the Denver Zoo someone at the zoo gets the privilege of naming the animal. This time around the zoo has decided to do things a little differently.

A young male penguin hatched at the zoo on Oct. 18, and zoo officials have asked Denver media outlets, including CBS4, to ask for viewer's ideas for a name.

The penguin's parents are named Big Head Todd and Ruth.

Zookeepers said an African penguin, so he wasn't exactly thrilled about Denver's recent cold snap.

Fit For Neither Man Nor Penguin

The African penguins at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration (in Connecticut) spent Wednesday nesting indoors due to the chilly temperatures outside. These penguins are a species found only in temperate climates and are not accustomed to colder weather.

What is a penguin?

penguin: originally the common name for the now extinct great auk of the N Atlantic and now used, starting in the 19th cent., for the unrelated antarctic diving birds. more

Simon's Town Penguin Colony

Simon's Town is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located roughly on the border between the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.

In 1983 a pair of African penguins were spotted on Foxy Beach at Boulders and in 1985 they began to lay. Since then the colony has grown rapidly, increasing initially at about 60% a year.

By 1997 there were 2350 adult birds. Such a quick growth of the colony was the result of immigration, particularly from Dyer Island, as well as by reproduction. Birds have probably come to False Bay because of the good fishing available since commercial purse seine fishing has been banned in the Bay.

Although Simon's Town is very proud of its penguins, nearby residents suffered badly as the birds invaded their gardens, destroyed the undergrowth and were generally very noisy and messy. The great increase in tourists has also been a problem. As a result, the area has now been taken over by Cape Peninsula National Park, the birds have been restrained from wandering inland by a fence, board walks and an information room have all been established.

Baby Penguin Puppet

"Before she dons the ""formal wear"" look of the adult penguin, this Baby Emperor Penguin puppet sports the gray feather-like plush coat of youth. Animate her head and wings to create awkward baby bird-like movement.

How come penguins are black and white?

How come penguins are black and white?

They're not!

Of course, while traditional tuxedos (and penguins) are black and white, there are exceptions. Just as there are those who wear lime green tuxedos with matching cummerbunds to their high school prom, so there are penguins that break the black-and-white mold. Fairy penguins have dark blue feathers in place of the black, which is why these birds are also called "Little Blues."

Chinstrap Penguin on Deception Island

from flickr, by matt_gallagher

Fuzzy Chicks

Penguins let off steam during zoo walks

Tokyo's zoo hopes to create "Happy Feet" every time it lets its penguins out for a walk.

Zoo officials let the King Penguins waddle around once a week in a bid to ease homesickness and the stress of being in captivity.

In the wild, penguins walk long distances on ice and one official said the zoo was trying to "make their living environment closer to the one they had."

During their 30-minute walk, the penguins walk about 300 metres inside the zoo enclosure, to the delight of visitors.

"This was not the first time I saw penguins but watching them march like this was certainly new to me," said nine-year-old Chin Isseki.

The penguins, too, seem to enjoy their excursion -- officials say the birds appear less stressed after their walks.

Bushy-browed penguin swims 1,240 miles, finds mates

A rare "Groucho Marx" penguin found worn out and exhausted on an Australian beach after a 1,240-mile (2,000 km) swim has been rescued by Sydney zookeepers, but after getting his strength back will have to earn his keep by comforting two lonely females of his vulnerable species.

The Fiordland Crested Penguin, so-named Groucho Marx penguins because of their distinctive bushy eyebrows, is one of the world's most endangered penguin species and is usually found in the frigid sub-Antarctic waters off southern New Zealand.

The male penguin was found at Norah Head, a sleepy beachside hamlet about 50 miles (80 km) north of Sydney, last November. The penguin, nicknamed "Munroe" was exhausted and suffering respiratory problems after his trans-Tasman trek.

He was taken to Sydney's Taronga Zoo, where he is now the only male of his species in captivity in the world.

Restored to ruddy good health after medical checks and a steady diet of pilchards, Munroe will soon be introduced to the zoo's other fiordland penguins "Chalky" and "Milford," the only two females in captivity, and get down to the job at hand.

"The girls have been on their own for quite some time now," Taronga Zoo spokeswoman Danielle McGill said.

According to McGill, Munroe already has happy feet at prospect of meeting his new companions.

Live Penguin Web Cam

Live camera stream of the blackfooted penguins in the Splash Zone exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Game: Penguin 4

Help the penguin swim in the water and dodge the obstacles as they constantly are in motion. Do not hit the walls either.

Penguin friend

from flickr, by itsirisc

New Zealand Penguins

Guide to the various species of penguins in the New Zealand region, their habits,
conservation and where to view them.

Baby Penguin

from flickr, by BrynJ

Hunt for Melbourne penguin killers continues

Wildlife authorities say they are appalled by the senseless slaughter of three penguins from a Melbourne beach colony.

The stabbed and battered remains of two male and one female bird were discovered at the St Kilda breakwater Little Penguin colony in the days leading up to Christmas.

Autopsy results showed they all died of trauma consistent with a single heavy blow.

One of the male penguins also had its left flipper slashed with a knife.

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) wildlife officer Samantha Moore said one of the penguins was hit so hard its back was broken.

"This was an appalling act of cruelty upon these flightless birds who had no means of escape," she said.

Ms Moore said police were testing a knife found near the scene for fingerprints and it could be examined for DNA.

She appealed for anyone fishing or walking near the St Kilda breakwater area around December 21 who noticed someone acting suspiciously, to come forward.

Game: Penguin Push

Push all the ice blocks into the yellow holes.

Cocker spaniel vs. Penguin

Penguin wins!

penguin party - south africa

from flickr, by chillntravel