How to identify penguins

on your Antarctica cruise

Each penguin species
has a unique pattern

Penguin watching is a major activity on an Antarctica cruise. I created the graphic below to help you quickly identify seven major species.

More insights on

the seven penguins

Chinstrap - These cute penguins are the sentimental favorite of most tourists. They wear a "helmet strap" and innocent expression. The Chinstrap penguins have a large population and favor the South Shetland Islands, which the Minerva visits.

Gentoo - You will see this coral-orange beaked penguin on the Antarctica Peninsula and South Georgia Island, and in other areas. The penguins in the box-office hit "Happy Feet" animated film are closely modeled after the Gentoos.

Adelie - This white-circled-eye penguin bursts with curiosity, to the delight of visitors. The population is large. Some colonies number 100,000 birds.

Rockhopper - They are aptly named - the birds hop from rock to rock when climbing steep slopes to reach their high cliff nests. You'll see them in the Falkland Islands.

Macaroni - These weird-looking penguins are related to the rockhoppers. Like them, they have grasping feet, allowing them to climb precipitous, rugged slopes to reach their high-cliff nests. South Georgia Island is a popular breeding ground.

Emperor - They're the world's largest and most famous penguin (they starred in the documentary hit, "March of the Penguins"). You could possibly see them, but the chances are low because their breeding grounds are distant from standard Antarctica cruise routes.

King - They are closely related to the Emperor penguins, but are smaller and greater in number. Viewing opportunities are good on South Georgia Island, but not on the Falklands and in the Antarctica Peninsula.

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