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Penguin Survival Lab
Founder, Penguin Place· Founder and editor

All 18 Penguin Species

The family is bigger, stranger, and more uneven than the standard penguin stereotype suggests. Start with any species, then follow the threads of habitat, prey, lineage, and conservation pressure outward.

18 living speciesStatus, habitat, diet, and range hubsProfiles, comparisons, and guides

Browse the species through different lenses

Status, genus, region, habitat, and diet all reveal different parts of the same bird. Use the lens that fits the question you actually have.

By Status

Critically Endangered (1)Endangered (4)Least Concern (6)Near Threatened (2)Vulnerable (6)

By Genus

Aptenodytes (2)Eudyptes (8)Eudyptula (1)Megadyptes (1)Pygoscelis (3)Spheniscus (4)

By Region

Falkland Islands (5)Kerguelen Islands (4)Chile (3)Crozet Islands (3)Macquarie Island (3)South Georgia (3)Antarctic Peninsula (2)Antarctica (2)

By Habitat

Rocky coastlines (8)Sub-Antarctic islands (6)Rocky shores (4)Cliff faces (3)Tussock grass (3)Antarctic coastline (2)Antarctic Peninsula (2)Coastal forests (2)

By Diet

Squid (17)Krill (11)Crustaceans (10)Fish (8)Small fish (8)Sardines (3)Anchovies (2)Herring (1)
Emperor penguin standing on Antarctic ice
Near Threatened

Emperor Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

Antarctica
100-130 cm22-45 kg
King penguin with vibrant orange markings
Least Concern

King Penguin

Aptenodytes patagonicus

South Georgia, Falkland Islands
85-95 cm11-16 kg
Adelie penguin on rocky Antarctic shore
Least Concern

Adelie Penguin

Pygoscelis adeliae

Antarctica, South Shetland Islands
46-71 cm3.6-6 kg
Chinstrap penguin with distinctive black band under chin
Least Concern

Chinstrap Penguin

Pygoscelis antarcticus

South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands
68-77 cm3.2-5.3 kg
Gentoo penguin walking on a beach
Least Concern

Gentoo Penguin

Pygoscelis papua

Falkland Islands, South Georgia
51-90 cm4.5-8.5 kg
Little blue penguin emerging from burrow
Least Concern

Little Blue Penguin

Eudyptula minor

New Zealand, Southern Australia
30-33 cm1-1.5 kg
Magellanic penguin on a South American beach
Least Concern

Magellanic Penguin

Spheniscus magellanicus

Argentina, Chile
61-76 cm2.7-6.5 kg
Humboldt penguin on rocky coastline
Vulnerable

Humboldt Penguin

Spheniscus humboldti

Peru, Chile
56-70 cm3.6-5.9 kg
Galapagos penguin standing on volcanic rock
Endangered

Galapagos Penguin

Spheniscus mendiculus

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
49-53 cm1.7-2.6 kg
African penguin on sandy beach in South Africa
Critically Endangered

African Penguin

Spheniscus demersus

South Africa, Namibia
60-70 cm2.2-3.5 kg
Yellow-eyed penguin on New Zealand coast
Endangered

Yellow-eyed Penguin

Megadyptes antipodes

New Zealand, Auckland Islands
62-79 cm4.5-8.5 kg
Fiordland penguin in dense rainforest habitat
Vulnerable

Fiordland Penguin

Eudyptes pachyrhynchus

New Zealand (South Island), Stewart Island
51-71 cm2.7-5.9 kg
Snares penguin on sub-Antarctic rocky shore
Vulnerable

Snares Penguin

Eudyptes robustus

Snares Islands (New Zealand)
51-61 cm2.5-4 kg
Erect-crested penguin with distinctive upright yellow crest
Endangered

Erect-crested Penguin

Eudyptes sclateri

Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands (New Zealand)
50-70 cm2.5-6 kg
Macaroni penguin with golden-orange crest feathers
Vulnerable

Macaroni Penguin

Eudyptes chrysolophus

South Georgia, Falkland Islands
51-77 cm3.3-6.6 kg
Royal penguin on Macquarie Island beach
Near Threatened

Royal Penguin

Eudyptes schlegeli

Macquarie Island (Australia)
65-76 cm3-8 kg
Western rockhopper penguin with spiky yellow crest and red eyes
Vulnerable

Western Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes chrysocome

Falkland Islands, Chile
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg
Eastern rockhopper penguin on sub-Antarctic rocky coastline
Vulnerable

Eastern Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes filholi

Campbell Island, Antipodes Islands
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg
Northern rockhopper penguin on remote island cliff
Endangered

Northern Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes moseleyi

Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg

Critically Endangered Species (1)

African penguin on sandy beach in South Africa
Critically Endangered

African Penguin

Spheniscus demersus

South Africa, Namibia
60-70 cm2.2-3.5 kg

Endangered Species (4)

Galapagos penguin standing on volcanic rock
Endangered

Galapagos Penguin

Spheniscus mendiculus

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
49-53 cm1.7-2.6 kg
Yellow-eyed penguin on New Zealand coast
Endangered

Yellow-eyed Penguin

Megadyptes antipodes

New Zealand, Auckland Islands
62-79 cm4.5-8.5 kg
Erect-crested penguin with distinctive upright yellow crest
Endangered

Erect-crested Penguin

Eudyptes sclateri

Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands (New Zealand)
50-70 cm2.5-6 kg
Northern rockhopper penguin on remote island cliff
Endangered

Northern Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes moseleyi

Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg

Vulnerable Species (6)

Humboldt penguin on rocky coastline
Vulnerable

Humboldt Penguin

Spheniscus humboldti

Peru, Chile
56-70 cm3.6-5.9 kg
Fiordland penguin in dense rainforest habitat
Vulnerable

Fiordland Penguin

Eudyptes pachyrhynchus

New Zealand (South Island), Stewart Island
51-71 cm2.7-5.9 kg
Snares penguin on sub-Antarctic rocky shore
Vulnerable

Snares Penguin

Eudyptes robustus

Snares Islands (New Zealand)
51-61 cm2.5-4 kg
Macaroni penguin with golden-orange crest feathers
Vulnerable

Macaroni Penguin

Eudyptes chrysolophus

South Georgia, Falkland Islands
51-77 cm3.3-6.6 kg
Western rockhopper penguin with spiky yellow crest and red eyes
Vulnerable

Western Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes chrysocome

Falkland Islands, Chile
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg
Eastern rockhopper penguin on sub-Antarctic rocky coastline
Vulnerable

Eastern Rockhopper Penguin

Eudyptes filholi

Campbell Island, Antipodes Islands
45-58 cm2-3.4 kg

Near Threatened Species (2)

Emperor penguin standing on Antarctic ice
Near Threatened

Emperor Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

Antarctica
100-130 cm22-45 kg
Royal penguin on Macquarie Island beach
Near Threatened

Royal Penguin

Eudyptes schlegeli

Macquarie Island (Australia)
65-76 cm3-8 kg

Least Concern Species (6)

King penguin with vibrant orange markings
Least Concern

King Penguin

Aptenodytes patagonicus

South Georgia, Falkland Islands
85-95 cm11-16 kg
Adelie penguin on rocky Antarctic shore
Least Concern

Adelie Penguin

Pygoscelis adeliae

Antarctica, South Shetland Islands
46-71 cm3.6-6 kg
Chinstrap penguin with distinctive black band under chin
Least Concern

Chinstrap Penguin

Pygoscelis antarcticus

South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands
68-77 cm3.2-5.3 kg
Gentoo penguin walking on a beach
Least Concern

Gentoo Penguin

Pygoscelis papua

Falkland Islands, South Georgia
51-90 cm4.5-8.5 kg
Little blue penguin emerging from burrow
Least Concern

Little Blue Penguin

Eudyptula minor

New Zealand, Southern Australia
30-33 cm1-1.5 kg
Magellanic penguin on a South American beach
Least Concern

Magellanic Penguin

Spheniscus magellanicus

Argentina, Chile
61-76 cm2.7-6.5 kg

Recommended Guides

Use these when the question starts with a survival problem rather than a single species name.

Penguin Survival Lab

Why Penguins Don't Freeze

How Emperor Penguins and their relatives stay alive in lethal cold, from feather geometry to blood-flow tricks and huddle physics.

Read guide
Penguin Survival Lab

How Penguins Dive So Deep

Why some penguins dive like compressed springs, and how Emperor and King Penguins turn oxygen, pressure, and timing into depth.

Read guide
Penguin Survival Lab

How Penguins Survive Long Fasts

Why fasting is normal penguin biology, from Emperor males on winter sea ice to chicks and moulting birds trapped on land.

Read guide