Gentoo Penguin

Facts about Gentoo Penguins. "Scientific name for Gentoo Penguin is Pygoscelis Papuaand" and Pygoscelis meaning "rump tailed". The Gentoo Penguin is closely associated with Adelie Penguins and the Chinstrap Penguins. This species makes a trumpeting sound when calling and this is done with their heads thrown backwards. Gentoo Penguin are the third largest penguin, following the emperor and king.

Features of the Gentoo Penguin

The Gentoo Penguin webbed feet are pale white-pink in color and their tail is the most prominent among all penguins. Gentoo Penguin chicks are grey on the back and white on the front. The distinctive feature of the Gentoo Penguin is its long tail. The Gentoo Penguin has a bright orange-red bill and a wide stripe white in color that extends across the top of the Gentoo Penguin’s head almost looking like a bonnet.
Gentoo Penguins are 20 to 35 in (51 to 90 cm) tall. This means that they are among the largest penguin species coming after the king and Emperor Penguins. The male Gentoo Penguin weighs about 8.5 kg (19 lb) before they are Molting -(of an animal-shed old hair skin, or an old shell, to make way for a new growth that will occur, the adult birds were already molting into their winter shades of gray) and not less than 4.9kg (11 lb) before mating. Gentoo Penguins regular preen (meaning of a bird, cleans and straighten its feathers with its beak)
Female Gentoo Penguins weigh not more than 8.2 Kg (18 lb) before they molt and not less than 4.5kg (9.9 lb) when they are taking care of their chicks in the nest. The Gentoo Penguins hailing from the north are usually taller and heavier than those from the south.

Region of the Gentoo Penguin

Circumpolar in Antarctic peninsula and sub-Antarctic Islands waters is were you find the Gentoo Penguin. They tend to breed on ice-free grounds. There are subspecies of the Gentoo Penguin, they are Pygoscelis papua papua breed and is mainly found on the Kerugulen, Macquarie, South Georgia, Falkland Islands, Heard and Staten Islands and the other one Pygoscelis papua ellsworthi breed is found on the Antarctic Peninsula, South Sandwich Islands, South Shetland Island and south orkney islands.

Diet of the Gentoo Penguin

The Gentoo penguin is a Carnivore. Gentoo penguins mainly survive on crustaceans like squid, krill and fish whenever available. They are known to be opportunistic feeders that feed on what they can find readily. Gentoo Penguin don't drink water, since they take in seawater as they swallow their meal and like all penguins, they have a that special gland that removes salt from their bodies after swallowing saltwater.

Reproduction of the Gentoo penguin

Gentoo penguins breed on ice free surfaces and like all other penguins they breed in colonies. These penguins may often nest between grass tufts as well as on shallow areas of the coast. Their incubation period is between 34 – 36 days and chicks are nested for not less than 30 days before being released into the creche. The incubation is shared between the male and female Gentoo Penguin and they change turns daily.

About the Gentoo penguin

The Gentoo Penguin is the fastest of all penguins in swimming covering up to 36km/ph an equivalence of 22 mph/ph. They can make over 400 dives a day for food. This species is adapted to very harsh cold climactic conditions.

"Scientific name for Penguin Sphenisciformes". This scientific name was given to the penguins because when they walk the long tail sticks out and sweeps from side to side.