Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere, and their habitats range from the South Polar pack ice to the Galapagos Islands. They spend a considerable amount of time in the ocean where they feed, but must return to land to breed and to moult. Their bodies are adapted for this aquatic lifestyle, with a hydrodynamic shape and wings that function as flippers.

• A member of the larger group, the birds.
• Waterproof feathers.Your feathers are kept waterproof by being coated with oil produced by a gland located at the base of the tail
• An insulating layer of down that traps layers of warm air next to your skin. You need this to keep your warm blood warm!
• Modified wings that look and function as flippers. These are efficient in the water, but don't allow you to fly in air.
• To catch your prey underwater.
• A large lung capacity so that you can spend long periods submerged.

Fairy penguin, Blue penguin, Rock hopper or Little Penguin

The body of a penguin reflects that of a bird well suited to life in the water. They are torpedo shaped, with thick necks.They have distinct wings that look and function more like flippers, used to "fly" through the water, but incapable of flight in air. They have stout legs, and webbed feet, which are used to hop and walk upright and on land. All species have water-proof feathers which are short ,stiff and packed closely together. Penguins need to moult every year to re-waterproof their plumage. Penguins can't swim while moulting, because they'll drown if they do! Beneath their feathers is an insulating layer of thick down. Most species have black and white counter shading. When standing upright these birds range in size from 30 cm (Little Penguin ) to about 150 cm (Emperor Penguin).

All known species of penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere , and range from the pack ice in Antarctica to the Galapagos Islands. However, none have been reported in the tropical waters of Australia. These birds spend a large proportion of their lives in the water, but must return to land to breed and to moult. They must undergo a yearly moult to re-waterproof their feathers. Their terrestrial habitats include pack ice, rocky outcrops, sand dunes, beaches with dense coastal vegetation, and caves.

The diet of penguins consists primarily of fish, but is often complemented by shrimp, squid, octopus and other oceanic foods. The birds pursue their prey underwater by flapping and gliding with their wings. They have the ability to spend long periods submerged. The Emperor penguin has been recorded at depths of 450 metres!

Penguins have a number of predators. These can come from the air, sea and land. They have been known to be preyed upon by large birds such as giant petrels, skuas and sea eagles. They are an important source of food for marine animals such as sea lions, fur seals, sharks and killer whales. Unfortunately, on land they can suffer predation from feral animals such as dogs, cats and foxes, as well as rats which prey on their eggs.

Male and female penguins look the same from the outside. They form mating pairs at the beginning of the mating season, but do not necessarily stay with the same partner for the rest of their lives. They nest in relatively large colonies, and females produce 1 to 3 eggs (depending on species). During incubation females hold the egg(s) on their feet and cover it with feathers. The males spend their days at sea foraging, but do not stray far from the colony. After hatching these roles may be reversed or, more commonly both parents forage at sea, returning periodically to feed the hatchling. The young are dependent on their parents for different periods of time, but they are capable of taking to the water within a few months of hatching. The juveniles must return to land to undergo their first moult shortly after fledging. The age of sexual maturity is varies between species but is usually between 1 and 2 years.

While on land penguins live in large colonies. Their colonies usually exclude most other species of birds, except for the large predators that frequent the area. However, they may share their habitat with a range of other animals such as sea lions and fur seals. While at sea they share their habitat with most other pelagic animals, but are still quite communal, travelling and feeding in flocks.

Penguins tend to frequent quite remote parts of the Southern Hemisphere and so human interaction has been relatively limited. However, human contact has become more frequent due to the increase in exploration and research into these remote areas. Compared to other types of birds they have little fear of humans which makes penguin research relatively easy. These remote birds can be affected by humans indirectly through their vulnerability to plastic pollution and oil spills. The species that live in close proximity to humans tend to suffer from predation by feral animals, ingestion of heavy metals and pesticides, and other forms of pollution.