Little+Penguin

[[image:little4.jpg align="left"]]LITTLE BLUE PENGUIN
//Eudyptula minor//

Contributed by Brad11

Eudyptula minor

The Little Penguin is the smallest of the world's 17 penguins.It is only 16 inches when it is fully grown. It is only 0.4-0.45m high and weighs about 1kg. It is also known as the Fairy Penguin because of its small size. In contrast, the largest species of penguin, the Emperor Penguin //Aptenodytes forsteri,// is 1-1.3m high with adult males weighing up to 38kg. http://www.austmus.gov.au/birds/factsheets/penguin.htm

SIZE: Male and Female penguins grow to about 16 inches tall. They are the smallest penguins in the world. http://www.austmus.gov.au/birds/factsheets/penguin.htm

DIET: They feed by hunting [|fish], [|squid], and other small sea animals, for which they travel and dive quite extensively. Little penguins, like most seabirds, have a long lifespan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin

POPUATION: Some scientists believe the White-flippered penguins to be the eighteenth penguin species. The total population is estimated to be about 500,000 breeding pairs. [|http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/little.html]

LIFESPAN: Little penguins, like most seabirds, have a long lifespan. The average for the species is 6.5 years, but [|flipper ringing] experiments have recorded individuals that have lived for over 20 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin

HABITAT: The Little penguins prefer the warm waters off southern Australia and New Zealand [|http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/little.html]

RANGE: New Zeland mainly southeast of the equator. [|http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/little.html]

[|http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/species.html]

OFFSPRING: 2 eggs are usually laid with both parents taking shifts of 1 to 3 days to mind them. The chicks are guarded by one parent while the other is out collecting food for up to 30 days. The chicks leave the nest when they are about 50 to 60 days old. http://teachit.acreekps.vic.edu.au/animals/fairypenguin.htm

INTERESTING FACTS: It is the most smallest penguin in the whole World. It is lightest penguin in the whole World. (It eats mostly fish and squid.)

MORE LINKS: (Use this space to provide links to fun or educational activities) http://www.dcrafts.com/penguinactivities.htm