13 Amazing Facts About Penguins That'll Make You Want To Visit Antarctica Right Away

Penguins are the cutest looking creatures that have the warmest hearts in the coldest regions. Irony much?

These aquatic flightless birds are found not only in Antarctica but also in South Africa, Chile, Peru, Gal¨¢pagos Islands, New Zealand, and Australia

Just like this one fact, here are some more interesting facts about penguins.

Scroll down to know more such facts.

1. They are called birds but instead of wings, they have flippers that help them swim better.

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2. There are no penguins in the north pole.

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3. Penguins can drink seawater safely because they have glands that gets rid of excess salt.

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4. There are about 17 species of Penguins in the southern hemisphere.

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5. The species called the Emperor Penguin is the tallest of all penguin species. They can stay underwater for around 20 minutes at a time.

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6. To keep themselves warm in cold weather, Emperor penguins often huddle together.

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7. The smallest species called the Little Blue Penguin is only about 16 inches tall.

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8. The Gentoo is the fastest penguin species which can reach swimming speeds of up to 35 km/h.

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9. Even penguins have knees but due to all the feathers, they can't be seen.

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10. All but two species of penguins breed in large colonies of up to one thousand birds.

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11. Though it varies from species to species, many penguins are likely to mate with the same member of the opposite sex season after season.

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12. After observing sexual behaviours in penguins it was found that gay penguins exist.

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