March south to peer at penguins

So you've taken the -- ahem! -- plunge and waddled down to the movie theater to see "March of the Penguins." Now you're feeling a bit anthropomorphic and you're ready to zip off in high pursuit of these little black-tuxedoed birds to see them up close.

So where to go?

Before calling a travel agent, the first thing to know is that penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere. They are not in the Arctic or Alaska or even Greenland or Iceland or Siberia, all perfectly fine albeit cold places where you would normally think penguins would congregate. But the fact remains that none of these birds is north of the equator. Except in zoos, but let's not even go there.

Penguins are considered among the most adorable and sweetest of all bird species. While studying up on them is definitely in order before you traipse all over the world to find them, I've done some basic homework for you.

Penguins, of which there are 18 species, have been around for ages, with some fossils dating as far back as 50 million to 60 million years. They are likely much smaller than you imagine, too. The smallest, the little or fairy penguin, stands just 18 inches tall. Emperors, the largest species, measure to only about 4 feet tall.

The birds need cold water for reasons too technical to go into, so that's why they're found near oceans. They can withstand intense cold temperatures, in part because of the insulating layers of fat and in part because they have relatively large bodies in relation to their head, wings and feet, which results in darned good heat conservation.

They have webbed feet, which come in handy for swimming and diving. Although they're considered birds, they can't fly, but they can jump and leap and wobble and slide with the best of 'em. They're playful, too, sometimes soaring out of the water like dolphins.

Penguin rookeries often cover several miles of coastline, which can mean thousands of birds, and they are generally quite noisy. Their favorite meal is a seafood buffet of fish, squid, krill and crustaceans. Some male emperors may not eat for as long as 15 weeks during mating season, but when the chicks hatch, it's pig-out time, when they sometimes eat as much as 25 pounds of food a day. Penguins can actually drink all the seawater they like, because they have a special gland that removes the salt.

One of the creatures' most endearing features is that they are easily recognizable by their white breasts and black heads and backs, appearing much like a tuxedo, which is why they're called the tuxedoed bird. Their stiff, slightly slanted upright waddle always gives them away, too. That's because Mother Nature has humorously placed their stubby little legs far back on their bodies.

The courtship, mating, egg-laying and nesting methods of the penguins is nothing less than fantastic, even quite beautiful, as "March of the Penguins" conveys. The process is long and often complicated but always, always amazing.

To see part of this amazing process, here's where to go:

The adventurous types can go straight to Antarctica to see the emperor penguins, the subject of director Luc Jacquet's masterpiece, but there are other species found here as well, including the adelie, gentoo and chinstrap.

If Antarctica is just a little too far south and the air a tad too frosty, then consider South Africa. With direct flights from the United States, South Africa is perhaps the easiest place to see the penguins.

African penguins, like humans, enjoy warm weather, and Boulders Beach, a series of hidden sea coves near Simon's Town on the eastern coast of the Cape Peninsula, and Stoney Point in Betty's Bay on the Western Cape, are two of the best locations to find them. Others live in the coastal regions of Namibia, which borders South Africa to the north.

By following your nose and ears, you'll know you're close to a colony when you hear cacophonous bellows of "Wonk! Wa-onnnk! Wa- onnnnk! Wonnnnnnk!"

The black-footed or jackass penguins (yes, that's what they're really called) of South Africa sound just like braying donkeys or even errant truck horns.

More penguin tourism awaits in Australia, where the "Penguin Parade," one of the continent's best-known wildlife attractions, is on Philip Island, just outside of Melbourne. This just happens to be the world's largest colony of little penguins, with numbers approaching 26,000.

Philip Island, just 16 miles long and less than 5 miles wide, is also a year-round home to a variety of other species of wildlife, including koalas, fur seals and hundreds of bird species. If you prefer "wild life" to "wildlife," some of Australia's best surfing is on Phillip Island's southern coastline.

Another place to see penguins in the wild is in South America, primarily in the Patagonian region. Humboldt and rockhopper penguins live on the coastal shores of Chile and Peru, while the king penguin is found primarily in Tierra del Fuego, on the very tip of Argentina.

Yet another offbeat place to see penguins is in the Galapagos Islands, thanks to the chilly waters of the Humboldt Current. Like the jackass penguins of South Africa, the Galapagos penguins prefer warmer waters nearer the equator.

The yellow-eyed penguin is the rarest of all penguins, and to see this diminutive creature you must travel way, way Down Under to either Tasmania or New Zealand. The Maori name of these penguins is "hoiho," which might come in handy on "Jeopardy!" someday. The yellow-eyed penguin has -- of course -- distinctive yellow eyes highlighted with a bright yellow stripe that runs around the back of its head. You can also find little and fiordland penguins in New Zealand.

While the story and cinematography of "March of the Penguins" are simply superb, seeing the birds firsthand definitely dazzles the senses, no matter which continent you choose.

Copyright C 2005 Deseret News Publishing Co.
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