Penguins
The Little Penguin (Eudyptula Minor), also known as the Fairy Penguin, Little Blue Penguin, Blue Penguin or Korora, is a type of carnivorous penguin found almost entirely in the southern coastlines of Australia and New Zealand. However, colonies of Little Penguins have also been spotted in Chile and South Africa. They are the smallest species of Penguin in the entire world, only growing to 13-17 in. tall and 1 kg in weight, hence their name. They usually live around 10 years, with some Penguins living as long as 20 years. A brief historical claim is that reportedly Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, was pecked by a Little Penguin on vacation in Australia. This later inspired him to select Tux the Penguin as Linux's official mascot. The Little Penguin's diet consists of fish, squid, krill, crustaceans and other small sea life. They eat by diving into the water and grabbing prey with their beak. They can dive up to 20 meters deep and stay submerged for one whole minute before needing to come back up for air. They usually feed inshore, away from other dangers. These penguins stay together as a colony during the whole year as protection from land predators. Male Little Penguins mature around 3 years of age while the females mature around age 2. They usually have a single mating partner whom they remain faithful to, and they also revisit the same site each year to lay their eggs. They create a small burrow to raise their young in (usually 1-2 of their eggs hatch). Both parents incubate the eggs. Occasionally, when the eggs are incubating, both parents may leave to catch food, leaving the eggs exposed. However, this doesn't seem to be much of a problem, as egg desertion isn't a main cause of population decline. Once the egg(s) hatch, the chicks stay with their parents until they are around 3 Months old.
Some of the Little Penguin's adaptations that have allowed it to survive so well include it's feather's coloring and wing's physical properties.
Some of the Little Penguin's adaptations that have allowed it to survive so well include it's feather's coloring and wing's physical properties.