Little Penguin
Eudyptula minor
Where is it found?
Coastline
Diet and foraging method
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Hunts for fish and can dive up to 20m deep in search of food, but mainly hunts close to the surface
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Key adaptations
Streamline (fusiform) body shape and modified wings - flippers - allows for superb speed and agility in the water, but they can't fly.
Social organisation and mating system
Live in colonies
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Socially monogamous breeding pairs
Penguins come ashore in groups to feed their chicks for defence against predators.
Did you know that...?
Little Penguins are the smallest species of penguins in the world and are called "Fairy Penguins" in Australia.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_penguin
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22697805
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
Second image: "Little Penguin Feb09" by Taken byfir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.auCanon 5D II + Canon 400mm f/5.6 L - Own work. Licensed under GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Penguin_Feb09.jpg#/media/File:Little_Penguin_Feb09.jpg
Third image: "Eudyptula minor -Perth Zoo, Australia -swimming-8a" by JP Bennett from Yamato, Japan - IMG_6876Uploaded by Snowmanradio. Licenced under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eudyptula_minor_-Perth_Zoo,_Australia_-swimming-8a.jpg#/media/File:Eudyptula_minor_-Perth_Zoo,_Australia_-swimming-8a.jpg
Forth image: "Little Penguin - Melbourne - Australia 01 (15358552336)" by Francesco Veronesi from Italy - Little Penguin - Melbourne - Australia 01. Licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Penguin_-_Melbourne_-_Australia_01_(15358552336).jpg#/media/File:Little_Penguin_-_Melbourne_-_Australia_01_(15358552336).jpg
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22697805
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
Second image: "Little Penguin Feb09" by Taken byfir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.auCanon 5D II + Canon 400mm f/5.6 L - Own work. Licensed under GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Penguin_Feb09.jpg#/media/File:Little_Penguin_Feb09.jpg
Third image: "Eudyptula minor -Perth Zoo, Australia -swimming-8a" by JP Bennett from Yamato, Japan - IMG_6876Uploaded by Snowmanradio. Licenced under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eudyptula_minor_-Perth_Zoo,_Australia_-swimming-8a.jpg#/media/File:Eudyptula_minor_-Perth_Zoo,_Australia_-swimming-8a.jpg
Forth image: "Little Penguin - Melbourne - Australia 01 (15358552336)" by Francesco Veronesi from Italy - Little Penguin - Melbourne - Australia 01. Licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Penguin_-_Melbourne_-_Australia_01_(15358552336).jpg#/media/File:Little_Penguin_-_Melbourne_-_Australia_01_(15358552336).jpg
