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penguins rule out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Penguins
| fossil_range = ]-Recent
| image = Manchot 01.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = ], ''Pygoscelis antarctica''
| regnum = ]ia
| phylum = ]
| classis = ]
| ordo = '''Sphenisciformes'''
| ordo_authority = ], 1891
| familia = '''Spheniscidae'''
| familia_authority = ], 1831
| subdivision_ranks = Modern Genera
| subdivision =
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* '']''
* For extinct genera, see ]
}}

'''Penguins''' (order '''Sphenisciformes''', family '''Spheniscidae''') are an order of ], ]s living exclusively in the ].

==Species and habitats==
The number of penguin species has been and still is a matter of debate. The numbers of penguin species listed in the literature varies between 16 and 19 species. Some sources consider the ] a separate '']'' species, although today it is generally considered a subspecies of the ] (e.g. Williams, 1995; Davis & Renner, 2003). Similarly, it is still unclear whether the ] is merely a color morph of the ]. Also possibly eligible to be treated as a separate species is the Northern population of ] (Davis & Renner, 2003). Although all penguin species are native to the southern hemisphere, they are not, contrary to popular belief, found only in cold climates, such as ]. In fact, only a few species of penguin actually live so far south. Three species live in the tropics; one lives as far north as the ] (the ]).

The largest living species is the ] (''Aptenodytes forsteri''): adults average about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and ] 35 kg (75 lb) or more. The smallest penguin species is the ] (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kg (2.2 lb). Generally larger penguins retain heat better, and thus inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are found in temperate or even tropical climates (''see also'' ]). Some ] species attained enormous sizes, becoming as high as an adult human; see below for more.

Most penguins feed on ], ], ], and other forms of ] caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the oceans.

When mothers lose a ], they sometimes attempt to steal another mother's chick, usually unsuccessfully as other females in the vicinity assist the defending mother in keeping her chick.

Penguins seem to have no fear of humans and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation. This is probably on account of there being no land predators in ] or the nearby offshore islands that ] on or attack penguins. Instead, penguins are at risk at sea from such predators as the ].

==Evolution==
The evolutionary history of penguins is poorly understood, as penguin ] are rare. The oldest known ] penguin species are the '']'', which lived in the early ] epoch of ], about 62 million years ago. While they were not as well adapted to aquatic life as modern penguins (which first emerged in the ] epoch 40 million years ago), ''Waimanu'' were flightless and loon-like, with short wings adapted for deep diving. These fossils prove that ] penguins were already flightless and seagoing, so their origins probably reach as far back as 65 million years ago, before the extinction of the ]. Penguin ancestry beyond ''Waimanu'' is not well known, though some scientists (Mayr, 2005) think the penguin-like ] (usually considered relatives of ]s and ]s) may actually be an early sister group of the penguins, and that penguins may have ultimately shared a common ancestor with the ].
During the Late ] and the Early ] (40-30 ]), some lineages of gigantic penguins existed. ] was the tallest, growing nearly 1.80 meters (6 feet) tall. The heaviest known species was with at least 80 kg the ]. Both were found on ], the former also in the Antarctic.
'''Palaeeudyptines'''<br>
Traditionally, most extinct species of penguins, giant or small, have been placed in the ] sub-family called Palaeeudyptinae. More recently, it is becoming accepted that there were at least 2 major extinct lineages, one or two closely related ones from ] and at least one other with pan-] and ] distribution. For a complete list of these generarations, see below.

===Systematics===
(updated after Marples, 1962, and Acosta Hospitaleche, 2004)<!-- add: Auk121:422 Cladistics21:209; Cladistics22:412 --->
'''ORDER SPHENISCIFORMES'''
* '']''
* '''Family Spheniscidae'''
** '''Subfamily ]''' (Giant penguins, ])
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
**** Nordenskjoeld's Giant Penguin, '']''
*** '']'' (tentatively assigned to this subfamily)
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']'' (tentatively assigned to this subfamily)
** '''Subfamily Paraptenodytinae''' (Patagonian stout-legged penguins, ])
*** '']''
*** '']''
** '''Subfamily Palaeospheniscinae''' (Patagonian slender-legged penguins, ])
*** '']'' - includes ''Chubutodyptes''
** '''Subfamily Spheniscinae''' (modern penguins)
*** '']''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Aptenodytes patagonicus''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Aptenodytes forsteri''
**** ], ''Aptenodytes ridgeni'' (])
*** '']''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Pygoscelis papua''
**** ], ''Pygoscelis tyreei'' (])
**** <!--]--> ], ''Pygoscelis adeliae''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Pygoscelis antarctica''
**** ''Pygoscelis grandis'' (])
**** ?''Pygoscelis'' small sp. (], may be different genus)
*** '']''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Eudyptes chrysocome''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Eudyptes pachyrhynchus''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Eudyptes robustus''
**** ], ''Eudyptes schlegeli''
**** ], ''Eudyptes sclateri''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Eudyptes chrysolophus''
**** ], ''Eudyptes'' sp. (]?)
*** '']''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Megadyptes antipodes''
*** '']''
**** <!--]--> ] (Blue or Fairy Penguin), ''Eudyptula minor''
**** ], ''Eudyptula albosignata''
*** '']''
**** '']'' (])
**** <!--]--> ] (Jackass or Blackfooted Penguin), ''Spheniscus demersus''
**** ''Spheniscus chilensis'' (])
**** ''Spheniscus megaramphus'' (])
**** ''Spheniscus urbinai'' (])
**** <!--]--> ], ''Spheniscus magellanicus''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Spheniscus humboldti''
**** <!--]--> ], ''Spheniscus mendiculus''
** '''Not assigned to a subfamily''' (all ])
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''
*** '']''

== Anatomy ==
Penguins are superbly adapted to an aquatic life. Their ]s have become flippers, useless for flight in the air. In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Within the smooth ] a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters.
On land, penguins use their ]s and wings to maintain balance for their upright stance.

All penguins are ] - that is, they have a white underside and a dark (mostly black) upperside. This is for ]. A predator looking up from below (such as an ] or a ]) has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface. The dark plumage on their backs camouflages them from above.

Diving penguins reach 6 to 12 km/h (3.7 to 7.5 mph), though there are reports of velocities of 27 km/h (17 mph) (which are more realistic in the case of startled flight). The small penguins do not usually dive deep; they catch their prey near the surface in dives that normally last only one or two minutes. Larger penguins can dive deep in case of need. Dives of the large ] have been recorded which reach a depth of 565 m (1870 ft) and last up to 20 minutes.

Penguins either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies across the snow, a movement called "tobogganing", which allows them to conserve energy and move relatively fast at the same time.

Penguins have an excellent sense of ]. Their ]s are adapted for underwater vision, and are their primary means of locating prey and avoiding predators; in air, conversely, they are nearsighted. Their sense of smell has not been researched so far.

They are able to drink salt water safely because their ] filters excess salt from the bloodstream. <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/penguin/penguin.htm | title=Animal Fact Sheets | accessdate=2006-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/birds/penguins/humboldtpenguin.htm | title=Humboldt Penguin :: Saint Louis Zoo | accessdate=2006-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://users.iafrica.com/b/bo/boulders/Vans%20book.htm | title=African Penguins and Penguins of the World | accessdate=2006-07-21}}</ref> The salt is excreted in a concentrated fluid from the nasal passages.

== Mating habits ==
Some penguins mate for life, while others for just one season. They generally raise a small brood, and the parents cooperate in caring for the clutch and for the young. During the cold season on the other hand the mates separate for several months to protect the egg. The male stays with the egg and keeps it warm, and the female goes out to sea and finds food so that when it comes home, the baby will have food to eat. Once the female comes back, they switch.

=== Male bonding behaviour ===
In early February ] the '']'' a male pair of ]s in the ] in ] were partnered, and when given an egg which needed incubation, successfully hatched it. Other penguins in New York have also been reported to be forming same-sex pairs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-06-10/591.asp | title=Columbia News Service: June 10, 2002: They're in love. They're gay. They're penguins... And they're not alone. | accessdate=2006-07-21}}</ref>

This was the basis for the children's ] '']''. The couple about whom the book was based, ], would see further interesting developments in their relationship when in September 2005, Silo left Roy for a female penguin.

Zoos in ] and ] have also documented male penguin couples.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/02/021105penguins.htm | title=365gay.com: Gay Penguins Resist 'Aversion Therapy' | accessdate=2006-07-21}}</ref> The couples have been shown to build nests together and use a stone to replace an egg in the nest. Researchers at ] in ], found twenty such pairs at sixteen major aquariums and zoos in Japan. Bremerhaven Zoo in Germany attempted to break up the male couples by importing female penguins from ] and separating the male couples; they were unsuccessful. The zoo director stated the relationships were too strong between the older couples.

== Name ==
''Penguin'' is thought by some to derive from the ] words ''pen'' (head) and ''gwyn'' (white), applied to the ], which had a conspicuous white patch between the bill and the eye (although its head was black), or from an island off Newfoundland known as "White Head" due to a large white rock. This may be, however, a false etymology created by Dr. John Dee in his book on Prince ] of Wales, supposedly one of the discoverers of America. By this Dee hoped to cement ]'s claim, as a ], to the New World. Penguins live nowhere near Newfoundland, nor do they generally have white heads, but they do look remarkably like Great Auks. According to another theory, the original name was ''pen-wing'', with reference to the rudimentary wings of both Great Auks and penguins. A third theory is that ''penguin'' comes from the ] ''pinguis'' (fat). This has added credibility because in two other ], ] 'pinguïn' and ], 'Pinguin' both have the 'i' vowel too. While it has been replaced by an 'e' in the ] spelling, it can still be heard. By simply looking at the word's pronunciation and comparing that to the Dutch and German words, one could assume a common Latin root - after the ] (500-200 BC) that makes a PIE 'p' into a 'f'. However, a Welsh 'i' is often mutated to an 'e' in the English language so the Welsh origin is still arguable.

== Penguins in popular culture ==
] mascot]]
{{main|Penguins in popular culture}}
Penguins are popular around the world, primarily for their unusually upright, waddling pace and (compared to other birds) lack of fear of humans. Their striking black and white plumage is often likened to a ] suit and generates humorous remarks about the bird being "well dressed". Perhaps in reaction to this cutesy stereotype, fictional penguins are occasionally presented as grouchy or even sinister. Penguins have also been the subject of many books and documentary films.

== External links ==
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== References ==
<references />

* Acosta Hospitaleche, Carolina (2004): ''Los pingüinos (Aves, Sphenisciformes) fósiles de Patagonia. Sistemática, biogeografía y evolución''. Doctoral thesis, Department of Natural Sciences and Museum, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. La Plata, Argentina.

* Davis; Lloyd S.; Renner; M. (1995). ''Penguins'' . London: T & A D Poyser. ISBN 0-7136-6550-5.

* Marples, B. J. (1962): Observations on the history of penguins. ''In:'' Leeper, G. W. (ed.), ''The evolution of living organisms''. Melbourne, Melbourne University Press: 408-416.

* Mayr, G. (2005): Tertiary plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) and a novel hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships of penguins (Spheniscidae). ''Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research'' '''43'''(1): 61-71. ]:doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00291.x

* Williams; Tony D. (1995). ''The Penguins - Spheniscidae'' . Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854667-X.

==Gallery==
<gallery><gallery>
Image:penguin2.jpg|] in ]
Image:penguin.jackass.arp.500pix.jpg|]
Image:penguinu.jpg|] hunting for ]
Image:Humboldt Penguin.jpg|] at the ]
Image:Magellanic-penguin02.jpg|]
image:Pygoscelis_papua.jpg|]
Image:Little pengiun.JPG|] - also called "Fairy Penguin"
Image:Emperor penguins.jpg|]s
Image:DSC_1781.jpg|Gentoo Penguin at polish Arctowski base
Image:6285_aquaimages.jpg|Galapagos Penguin, ]
Image:6277_aquaimages.jpg|Galapagos Penguin, ]
</gallery>

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Revision as of 12:46, 21 December 2006

penguins rule out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penguin: Difference between revisions Add topic