Every one knows that Penguins are known as cutest birds on the earth. Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. An average penguin weighs as much as 11 pounds and is about 30 inches tall. Earlier it was believed that these creatures are nothing but fishes, but it came to be recognized much later that they were actually birds. The structure of their body makes it easy for them to acclimatize to such harsh weather conditions. They cannot fly but their waterproof wings help them move. Their big stomachs also facilitate their movement across the ice. The layer of fat covering their bodies protects them from cold and keeps them warm. It is said that penguins feel more comfortable when in water. The coloring of a penguin enables it to camouflage itself and merge with the surroundings. This way it protects itself from predators. They mainly feed on small fish and krill. These birds are harmless and quite gregarious amongst their own species. An interesting observation about the penguins is that when in water they swim in groups and some of the species even hunt together. In fact some species spend only a quarter of their lives on land.
The Falkland Islands are not just famous for the 1982 conflict. Hundreds of thousands of penguins ? including one of the world?s most northerly colonies of King penguins ? live on the archipelago.
The King population, which was once hunted for oil, was virtually wiped out by the late 1800s, but they started to reappear in the 1930s and have been steadily growing in number since.
The Kings and other species are a valuable asset to the Falklands, not least because they attract wildlife enthusiasts and cruise ship day trippers to the islands. Visitors are asked to keep their distance from the birds, and wardens usually keep watch.
