Diet & Feeding

Do penguins eat jellyfish?

While penguins occasionally ingest jellyfish, they are not a primary or preferred food source. Studies using camera loggers attached to penguins have documented some species, such as Adelie and little blue penguins, consuming jellyfish. However, it is unclear whether this is intentional or incidental. Jellyfish have very low nutritional value compared to fish and krill, so they would not sustain a penguin. Plastic bags floating in the ocean are sometimes mistaken for jellyfish by penguins, which is one of the pollution-related threats they face.