Emperor penguins are the most abundant species of penguins that approximately stand four feet tall. They live in the harshest and coldest continent, Antarctica. The reason they migrate is mainly related to the change in temperature. The distance to which they migrate varies according to the cause, the environmental conditions, and the species.
What is a penguin migration?
, and by |. The changes in temperatures, the changes in food availability and the need to mate, among other factors, make many animals move to other areas, that is, migrate. In zoology, migration is the periodic journey, which animals do from time to time, to reach areas where they can meet their needs.
Since krill is the principal food for some species of penguins, they have to move to regions where the days are still long to find food in other coastal waters.
How far do penguins travel to breed?
They travel between 60 to 100 miles to reach the breeding place. The breeding sites are mostly the same from the beginning of their birth. At times of any intrusion, penguins change their breeding sites not very far from the usual place but in the vicinity.
Most penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, this is so true that almost all penguin species are native to the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species is anywhere above the Equator. That is the Galapagos penguin. But not even the Galapagos penguin is in Alaska. It is on the coasts of Africa and parts of mainland South America.
Another frequent question is “How many species of penguins are there in Antarctica?”.
In fact, penguins exist only in the southern hemisphere with a large number of them living in Antarctica. Out of 18 species of penguins found all over the globe, eight species of penguins are found in the Antarctic region.
Why don’t penguins live in Alaska?
The region of Alaska has one natural predator that is not found in the southern hemisphere – bears. The presence of bears such as polar bears in the Arctic region ensures penguins won’t survive there.
Have you ever wondered, are there penguins in Alaska? Well, the short answer is that there are no penguins in Alaska. In fact, penguins exist only in the southern hemisphere with a large number of them living in Antarctica.
What do penguins do in winter?
They use to move towards the south during winter to migrate. The majority of birds undergo migration, but not all. Though penguins are birds they can’t fly for movement, instead they walk towards their nesting colonies — especially emperor penguins, the species which is known to be the largest among all penguins.
We learned penguins are flightless birds with torpedo shape, and they live in the Earth’s southern hemisphere (with the exception of the penguins of the Galapagos Islands, which is located very close to the Equator itself).