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A Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) Sphenisciformes is a bird order consisting of one family, six genera and a total of 17 species. This sole family (Spheniscidae) exists exclusively within the Southern Hemisphere. In common reference, the Sphenisciformes are known as the Penguins. Most people know penguins as the upright standing birds and not as flightless marine birds that have modified featherless wings. Their ability to assume a standing posture is mainly because they have short legs that are placed far to the rear of their bodies. Species Description Sphenisciformes are thus a group of flightless aquatic birds that live exclusively within the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica parse). The Sphenisciformes, so called penguins in common discourse are highly adapted for aquatic life such that their wings have evolved to become flippers. They usually spend half of their lifespan on land though and the other half in oceans. The only Sphenisciformes that lives anywhere near the equator is the Galápagos Penguin. Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest extant Sphenisciformes species with their adult averaging at 1.2 m tall and 50 kg heavy. Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor) also called the Fairy Penguin, is the smallest Sphenisciformes species with their adult averaging at 40 cm tall and 1 kg heavy. Diet Most Sphenisciformes species feed by hunting underwater. Given that they are very apt swimmers, they are able to catch krill, squid, fish and many other marine life forms. Habitats All Sphenisciformes species are exclusively southern hemisphere natives, especially in Antarctica, today penguins are not just limited to cold climates. In fact, very few penguin species presently live at the far south regions. Ten of the 17 species currently live in temperate zones with the Galápagos Penguin living along the equator at the Galápagos Islands. Sphenisciformes exemplify the Bergmann's Rule that states that larger bodied species live at relatively higher latitudes than their smaller counterparts. Breeding Most Sphenisciformes species breed in very large colonies with the exceptions of the Fiordland species and the Yellow-eyed. These colonies can range from the size of a hundred pairs (i.e. Gentoo Penguins) to nine hundred thousand pair (i.e. Macaroni, King and Chinstrap species). Penguins are monogamous such that they form and keep same pairs repeatedly over breeding seasons. Almost all species lay two eggs within a clutch with the exemption of the two largest penguins, Emperor and King, which lay a single egg. All Sphenisciformes species except the Emperor, share incubation duties equally across gender. Conclusion Naturally, Penguins have minimal fear of humans and they usually approach explorers and hunters willingly without hesitation. Coming from Antarctica, they might never have known predators before. This has exposed them to great massacres by both humans and leopard seals. They have encountered many mammal predators in their new habitats leading to the extinction of three species already. Several more have been listed as endangered but conservation efforts have borne great fruits in the resent past. With the current trends, the Sphenisciformes family might last yet another century.
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