To say that The Penguin Pages gives an in-depth look at penguins is an understatement of gargantuan proportions. This really is more than just a website about the world’s 16 penguin species - it’s a full-blown course in biological science.

When, for example, it’s time to explain penguin behaviour, you don’t just get a few vague descriptions - you get a friendly but comprehensive introduction to ethology, the study of behaviour. Penguin evolution is prefaced by a background in general evolutionary biology - explaining what genes and alleles are, for instance. Before discussing penguin anatomy and looking at why their feet don’t freeze, there is a full explanation of principles and important terminology like ‘anterior’ and ‘ventral’.

Starting with a look at the birds themselves, the Established Species section has all the info you’ll need - from Kings and Emperors to Macaroni and Magellanic penguins. But as well as text, each species has a gallery of beautiful photos, sound files, and - as if you weren’t already spoilt beyond belief - minutes and minutes of streaming penguin videos. Streaming means that if you have the right plug-in, you don’t have to wait for the file to download first - sections of Discovery Channel documentary arrive as you watch. You can also download the species factfiles in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format, so you can peruse the particular quirks of each species whenever you like.

Moving on, the Predator-Prey section gives details of the predators out there only too willing to pick up a penguin, while the Biology Correlates section lets you ‘view the penguin inside-out’ - a back to basics guide to penguin anatomy. As you’ll have realised by now, nothing here is done halfheartedly - you’ll be able to find out how penguins breathe, how their skeleton is constructed, how their blood supply is special, how muscles work…

To top it off, there’s a vast FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, a library of suggested reading material, and plenty of links to other websites. All in all, this site is like nothing you’ll have seen before (unless you saw the brief mention in Wolfspider last year.)

The Penguin Pages

  • Originally at http://home.capu.net/~kwelch/pp/
  • Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20000815092612/http://home.capu.net/~kwelch/pp/