Penguin
Awareness Day is observed annually on January 20. There are 18 penguin species, 13 of
which have declining populations. Five of these species are endangered and face
extinction. There are only about 5,000 of the rarest species, the yellow-eyed
penguin.
The word
"penguin" first appeared in print in 1500s, and was originally
applied to a black and white seabird called an auk that is now extinct. Some
believe the name comes from the Welsh words "pen" and
"gwyn" that mean "head" and "white". Penguins are
non-flying birds that are native to the Southern Hemisphere. They are found in
Antarctica, South America, South Africa Australia and New Zealand, and on small
islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The northernmost penguins are Galapagos
penguins, which fittingly live on the Galapagos Islands, which are near the
equator. The birds cross into the Northern Hemisphere while swimming to feed.
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